My Big G Life

Tithing for Jackson

2012-01-15T21:30:00.002-07:00

Today we got to church and were sitting in our row when Jackson asked me if he could borrow a pen. I looked over to see that he was filling out a tithing receipt. Having just gone through Tithing Settlement I knew he didn't owe anything and thought he must just want to fill out a slip.

"Jackson, you don't owe any tithing."

"Ya mom, I owe tithing on the $5 dollars I got this week."

"Where did you get $5? Did Grandma give you more money?"

"No, Mom. I earned $5 from selling a bunch of my stuff at school. I was broke."

Uh, I had nothing to say because my brain was wondering: 1-What did he sell? 2-Did he sell anything valuable for under $5?

Just then the meeting started and I figured we would talk about it later.

"Jackson, just bring the slip home and we will figure it out together."

He insisted on filling in his name, then stuck it away in his scripture case.

That kid! :)

For the New Year 2012

2012-01-09T13:30:00.004-07:00

I pretty much stink at keeping New Year's Resolutions, so I tend to avoid making them. This year I had an idea while attending Relief Society and I think I'm going to give it a go.

This year we will be studying the life of George Albert Smith, an early Prophet and President of our church. I really like the fact that we study a different Prophet each year, as it helps me get to know them. I am always intensely impressed with their seemingly timeless wisdom and direction. After the intro to GAS, it seems that this year will be no different.

From the manual:

When he was 34 years old, George Albert Smith made a list of resolutions that he called his “personal creed”—11 ideals that he committed to live by:

“I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor.

“I would visit the sick and afflicted and inspire in them a desire for faith to be healed.

“I would teach the truth to the understanding and blessing of all mankind.

“I would seek out the erring one and try to win him back to a righteous and a happy life.

“I would not seek to force people to live up to my ideals but rather love them into doing the thing that is right.

“I would live with the masses and help to solve their problems that their earth life may be happy.

“I would avoid the publicity of high positions and discourage the flattery of thoughtless friends.

“I would not knowingly wound the feelings of any, not even one who may have wronged me, but would seek to do him good and make him my friend.

“I would overcome the tendency to selfishness and jealousy and rejoice in the successes of all the children of my Heavenly Father.

“I would not be an enemy to any living soul.

“Knowing that the Redeemer of mankind has offered to the world the only plan that will fully develop us and make us really happy here and hereafter, I feel it not only a duty but also a blessed privilege to disseminate this truth.”

As I read through the ideals our teacher had printed and posted on the chalkboard, I was incredibly moved at what an amazing person GAS must have been to come up with these 11 ideals. I decided they were worth pondering all year long. So this year, I will try to incorporate these ideals into our lives. I figure if each month I write one up and talk about it in FHE, it can't hurt. ;)

Thanks George Albert Smith. I am looking forward to spending the year with you.

We Call Him Chuey

2012-01-05T19:44:00.009-07:00

Kristine went to Denver over Thanksgiving and sometime while out shopping with her granddaughters, she came across this little hairball.
John's brother called and asked if they could buy him for Grandma (apparently she told them she LOVED him, although she told us the same day that she didn't want him). We asked them to wait at least 5 days to be sure that it was something she really wanted. The next day we got a text from the youngest g-daughter telling us they had purchased the dog and it would be fine because they would keep him in Denver if it was a problem.

I was not happy.

It is really fun to see puppies and want to get them, but there is a reality that comes with that. Sadly, because he was bought from a puppy mill type place, he was very sick (strangely, they still charged full price) having both kennel cough and parasites. But the deal was done and Kristine brought him home after her visit up North. He was on medicine that needed to be administered several times a day. And he was not potty trained. It didn't take long for Kristine's trailer to have multiple messes. Not pleasant.

There was some confusion and discrepancy on his name. It started out as Jack (Papa's name), but Kristine said she really didn't want that, so we changed it to Jake when he got to Durango. The granddaughter that helped pick out the dog really wanted it to be Jack, and Kristine started calling the hairball that again. It was a little confusing, but mostly annoying to me. I stayed out of it because I never talked to the little hairball.

Of course, only a couple of weeks after her return, Kristine went to the hospital for her Gall Bladder. Coincidentally, the only thing I asked for at Christmas was to have all of the floors in my house professionally cleaned. Carpet and tile. It wasn't cheap, but I was ridiculously happy about having it done. And the very day after it was done, the hairball was now staying with us. And he wasn't any closer to being potty trained than he had been before. Luckily, the kennel cough was gone, so he could be around our dog, Daisy, but he still had a lingering gagging thing he did.

Well, we immediately went into potty training mode and he did pretty well. Actually, he seemed really smart and started to catch on.

He was here through the Holidays and getting into the Spirit of Christmas, I scratched his belly a couple of times. There was still the confusion with the whole Jack/Jake thing and I didn't like it. I wasn't that fond of the name Jake, but I had no desire to call a sickly dog after my beloved Father in Law, especially if the dog was going to die. I just couldn't go there. So I called him 'hey'. Not that I was talking a lot to the hairball, but I did have to let him out to tinkle, or entice him to try a chew stick instead of my dresser leg.

As much as I was trying not to be attached to him, I had to admit that I was starting to like the hairball. He was smart, he didn't bark, he liked to follow me around, and he wasn't having accidents on the floors hardly at all. Right after Christmas he had some major constipation and I had to eh-hem (I can't believe I am writing about this...) help him and clean his little bum. He must have been in a lot pain, but he didn't cry or try to run away. He just looked up at me through his hairball hair and looked so very sad and helpless. He let me fix him up and I wrapped him in a little towel and took him to my room.

Of course I called John and told him I couldn't believe what I just had to do to a strange hairball, and could you believe this how I was spending Christmas break?! OK, I admit it was pretty funny talking about it. And dang it, he was so, so well behaved about it all. And gosh darn it, before I knew it, I had to admit that I started to like him. He was a cute hairball that looked like a rat when wet-in an adorable, sad, sickly, cute kind of way. I had tried not to get attached, but after you do what I had to, it kind of bonds you. And it wasn't really his fault that no one potty trained him or kept him healthy. Poor little sucker.

After that, he kind of took a liking to me too. He followed me around and napped in the sun that comes through my bedroom window. But I still wasn't calling him by name and I knew we must decide this.

While the Martins were here, Theo mentioned that the little hairball's hair was just like Chewbaca, the Wookie. I looked at him and thought they were right. "How about Chuey?" I casually asked. Gabe, Seth, and Elise were all there and they started repeating the name to see how it fit. And it seemed like it did. We noted that while small, hairball certainly had the heart of a Wookie. Gabe declared, "His name is SO Chuey." Other people in the room voiced their agreement. But I wasn't sure. I didn't want a third name to throw into the mix. We needed to pick just one name and stick to it.

John talked to Kristine the next day and she seemed all right with the idea (she had actually started calling him Yoda when she first brought him home, so I guess we weren't that far off). I just left it alone, but now it seems like everyone is calling the hairball Chuey, and he responds (I'm telling you-he is really pretty dang smart).

So Chuey it is. As much as I tried to not get attached, I like the hairball. He's smart and cute in a wookie kind of way. The kids love him, but most importantly, I think he makes Grandma Kristine happy. I do hope this last round of medicine will get rid of his cough, because I want him to be healthy and happy.

Oh shoot, he just peed in the office. CHUUUUEEEEEYYYYYY!!

Update on Kristine

2012-01-04T20:45:00.002-07:00

Grandma Kristine has been staying at our house since Christmas. It has worked out well. She lives in her room in the basement where she has her own bathroom and most importantly, her own TV. The kids love to go hang out with her and are really great at helping her out.

Sidenote: I just have to say that my husband is amazing. I hope my sons treat me half as well as he treats his mom. Elise also is endlessly good at helping Kristine. She is patient and kind-just like her dad.

While I am glad to have Kristine with us, I find it stressful in a mother-of-kids kind of way. I cringe that she gives them endless cookies and candy while letting them watch TV in her room for hours. I don't like discovering that they are watching TV in her bed an hour past their bedtime. Dumb, little stuff. But I try hard to let her do her thing and stay out of her hair. We have had a couple of different ladies helping her out in the past, taking her on errands, or helping her clean her trailer. Fortunately now, our niece Kenna has agreed to come and help her. I am really happy about this, as it helps Kristine stay independent and Kenna is really excellent at working with her.

Right after Christmas we had a visiting nurse come and it lit a fire under Kristine. She let Kristine know that if she wants to stay independent, she needs to be up and walking. Well, she got up and was walking around! It was good. The Physical Therapist came to visit that week as well, and she was concerned that she is at a risk for falling because she walks so unsteady. She told her to march with high knees down the hall and back each day so she can get better at balancing. Elise patiently holds her hands and walks her back and forth.

Just before New Years, she was getting restless at our house and wanted to move back to her trailer. I didn't think she was ready, but I didn't argue with her. I admit that it hurts my feelings when she tells everyone that she has over-stayed her welcome at her daughter-in-law's house. I am not sure what I do to convey that, but I imagine I must. (??) I would want to be in my own space too if I were her, so we let her call her friend to help her pack up her things and take them over to her trailer. This was just after the New Year.

The visiting nurse and the PT came to see her the very next day and I sent them both to the trailer. I told them both that she had decided to move out, but that I thought she ought to still be here. Kenna came for the appointments and told me that the nurse and the PT after evaluating her, said she is NOT ready to be on her own. John was surprised at this, as he feels like she is up to speed with her activity before her hospital stay. I agree with the nurses. I think she needs to get stronger before she goes back on her own. She is at a crossroads (this is according to the PT) where she either needs to get up and move around, or her body will soon not be able to do so.

So after being back in her trailer for just a day, she is back in our house. We will take it a week at a time and the PT will let us know how she feels Kristine is progressing. Kenna comes over and helps her organize her medications, takes her to the store, and will be here when the PT comes on Friday. I think it is the best arrangement that we can have under the circumstances. I hope she is able to keep moving so she can get back on her own, but until then, the kids like the "secret" supply of treats.

Rest In Peace Grandma Peters

2012-01-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Today Dorothy Buck Peters, my grandma, passed away. She had been living in a nursing home in South Jordan near my mom. She leaves behind 5 children, the oldest being my mom, followed by 4 boys. I remember visiting her out in California where she lived with my Grandpa. It was like visiting a zoo as they always had many exotic animals around. The ones I remember most were the 20+ spider monkeys that were in a cage by their home. My grandpa was the only on that could go near them safely. Grandma told me it was because they thought he was the head monkey. I thought that was funny. They also had emus, snakes, super chickens, bison, cockatoos, and lots of other random creatures.

She always seemed pretty chipper to me and was quick to giggle. The last few years she was in a lot of pain and I am glad that she isn't suffering anymore. My sisters and I would comment that Grandma Peters was like the energizer Grandma. So many times she seemed close to the end of her life, only to bounce back and recover. When she moved to Utah, my sibling Weston was hired to take care of her which Grandma told me that she really enjoyed. She would show us the soap carvings made by him. I am grateful that Weston could learn of her life and tell us about it at a family reunion.

I know my Grandma must be really proud of my mom and the woman that she is. She took such good care of my Grandma in her last years. Although it is not surprising, it is still really wonderful to see how dedicated my mom is. She visited my Grandma every day and baked yellow cupcakes for her so she would always have one. I think it must be hard for her because my Grandma didn't bounce back and stay longer this time. I know she is in a better place and no longer in pain, and that is a comfort. God be with you til we meet again.

Grandma Peters 1918-2012

Boys are Weird

2012-01-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight Gabe, Seth, and our neighbor Jared went down to the pond to have a Roman Candle fight. It's just as dangerous as it sounds. Boys lighting, then shooting, Roman candles as one another. For fun!(??)!

I am at least able to say that they took some safety precautions. They wore their helmets and goggles that they use for paint balling. But do I need to state the obvious, that paint balls are not ON FIRE or EXPLODING?!

From the house, it looked like a lost scene from Harry Potter, where wizards shot spells at one another on the frozen lake. There were plenty of loud bangs and bright, flying fireballs. I would occasionally open the window to listen for cries of pain, only to hear jubilant laughter. John went down to check on them after a while (thank goodness!) He returned to tell me that it was likely all of the fish we put in the pond this fall would now be dead. I guess the boys didn't know we had restocked it and they took great pleasure in throwing fireworks into a hole in the ice. Actually, they first BLEW a hole in the ice, then dropped said firecrackers into the water. I'll admit that it is fascinating to watch the fuses burn underwater, then blow up. Sadly, I don't think the fish enjoy it as much as we do.

After it was all over, Gabe and Seth came up to the house to clean up and get to bed. I could't help but notice that they both walked around with enormous grins, and Seth would just spontaneously crack up now and then. After griping to him about the holes melted into his new track pants, I asked him how it was. He answered without hesitation that this had to be the funnest night of his life.

I just don't get it! Pants melting, welts appearing, hair almost burning, and it's the best night ever? Really? Boys are so weird!

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T21:30:00.005-07:00

I ditched church today. Well, I went to Sacrament meeting, but then I was perfectly content to be the one to take Grandma Kristine home! I needed a nap and I couldn't wait to get home and close my eyes! :)

Last night we had our traditional New Year's Party. It's weird because every year (this one especially) we go back and forth on having it, but every year we do. With Grandma staying at our house and John traveling out of town last week, I let the stress get the better of me and was feeling a little under the weather. Yesterday morning we were literally wondering if we should go ahead and have the party.

We had already gotten out the fireworks, and bought a bunch of food, so of course, we decided to do it! I know it is obnoxious to be so last minute, but that is just how we had to roll this week with everything going on. There was a pleasant coincidence with a family we know (the ones we spent Christmas Eve with). Tammy is from my home town and her family was all in town for the baptism of her son, so I got to invite some old HS friends over too. I was so glad they could come.

There was a bit of a mishap with the fireworks. I happily call it a mishap, because it had the makings of a Greek tragedy (OK, maybe that is overstating it just a smidge). But it certainly could have been really bad. Seth and Hank were in charge of fireworks this year and when loading the launcher, one of the fireworks must have been loaded backwards, and failed to launch. It instead exploded in the launcher, igniting a whole bunch of other fireworks. I was watching from the upstairs window and my heart instantly about to pop out of my chest. Everyone ran inside and Seth and Hank took off as well. Gladly, everyone was OK, and it ended up being only an exciting, bright, loud explosion. Ugg.

Other than that, it was our typical night, food at 7, piñata at 8, fireworks at 9, then we were ready to ring in the East Coast New Year at 10PM! During the night I paused and looked around and felt really grateful for the many good people we have in our lives.

This year we did something similar to last year, in that we let the teenagers stay up until the actual New Year! ;) I know, we are CRAZY, right? They played dancing games on the wii and snacked on some food until midnight drew near. One of the kids here is a gal we adore, Mikayla. She is actually a New Year's baby, so we sang Happy Birthday to her just after midnight. I also tried something new this year by having them do Wish Lanterns.

You write your wish, light the lantern, then watch it float away into the New Year (Elise wished for a hedgehog). It had been windy all day and I thought we wouldn't be able to do it, but luckily, it calmed down just in time.

John and I do a test run

The kids write down their wishes for the new year

I think the kids liked setting them off. They were sure beautiful!

So goodbye to 2011, hello 2012! I hope you're a good one! :)

It's a Pit

2011-12-28T10:59:00.004-07:00

It is official. We have officially diversified our business lives. We are now partners in a Dickey's BBQ Pit. We bought an existing store near Denver. ClickHERE to visit the Dickey's website.

A trusted friend of John's came to him several months ago and proposed a partnership on opening some stores. We had learned hard lessons on partners in business from some failed attempts in our distant past, so we looked at it long and hard. We felt like it was a good scenario, and moved forward. I think who you partner with can make all the difference.

We have felt for some time now that we needed to shift directions in our life, and the timing of all of this was ideal. John buzzed up there yesterday to sign our lives away. ;) We are excited to see how it all pans out.

Is it strange the we now have not only a gravel pit, but also a Barbecue Pit?

Just Passing Through

2011-12-27T21:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Canadian Boxing Day. While I am still unclear exactly what the holiday is for, I know what our reason to celebrate was. The Martin Clan came through to visit on their way to Utah. It was our original plan to follow them North, but we are staying home. If I couldn't see most of my family, at least I got to see some of them! They are living down in Amarillo where Theo is acing PT school. Thanks for staying a while Martins! We miss you!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T21:40:00.005-07:00

Merry Christmas 2011!

I wanted a family photo as a gift from the kids. So here we are after church, yes, I see that John's eyes are closed, but look at what it took to get here:

I set the camera up and Elise and Gabe both posed to test the focus for me.

Then we got everyone tucked in and ready to go....

but a fight breaks out....

after everyone is convinced to try again...

I forget how to use the timer....

So this Christmas, eyes half open is good enough for me! Merry Christmas everyone! LOVE-the BigGTribe

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

This year for Christmas Eve I was in the middle of shifting mental gears. Some may refer to this as pouting, which would be accurate. While I was glad that Grandma was home and doing better, I was feeling sad that we would not be going to SLC after Christmas as we had planned. Grandma would have come with us, but was really in no condition to travel.

This afternoon, our friend Moss came by with his son Jacob to shoot the new gun he had gotten for his birthday. I chatted with him for a minute and he told me that his wife was felling a little alone this Christmas. They recently moved here and although her family would be visiting for New Years, they were solo until then. I hesitated for a minute, then asked them if they'd like to come over for Christmas Eve. I hesitated because I know that's a fairly personal type of night, and I didn't want them to feel weird or obligated to come over, but I thought it would be a great way for both of us to cheer up a little bit! :)

Happily, they agreed to come and I am so glad that they did. We had a really great night! We had dinner, then acted out Luke 2 (yes, I did make everyone dress in the fabric). All of the kids played a part. Joseph (Seth) and Mary (Mary) are both in middle school, so they acted like they didn't know each other and Mary declined to ride the donkey (Gabe). But the shepherds, the angel, the wisemen, the star, and baby Jesus all played their parts well.

Our Shepherds don't look afraid...

Baby Jesus checks out her gift

The Angel talks to us from the loft

The whole cast of characters from Luke 2

I loved talking with Moss and Tammy (the parents) and hearing about some of their life experiences. I was so glad they could come over so I wouldn't have to keep pouting! ;)

After they headed home, it was getting late, but we decided to open our traditional Christmas Eve present. Yes, it is always pajamas. The little guys still hold out hope for something more exciting, but we all pretty much know it's just going to be sleep wear. :) We took a few pictures before going to bed. Overall, I think it was a good night. Although we won't be going anywhere for the Holidays, I am glad I was reminded what they are about. Christmas is better when you have family and friends to share it with.

Kristine Comes Home

2011-12-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Grandma Kristine spent the week in the hospital. The doctor told her she would not come home for Christmas if she didn't start eating and walking. Well, that is what it took. She got up, walked the halls, and started eating. She got released today and will be staying with us until she can function a little better. The kids were so excited to have her staying here in our house! Jebb was especially glad that she wasn't wearing the oxygen tube on her face anymore, he did not like it!

She will have a visiting nurse and PT until she is well enough to go out. We are glad she made it for Christmas!

Some Last Minute Shopping OR What I Hate About Christmas

2011-12-22T21:58:00.003-07:00

Today I took the 3 younger kids with me to do some shopping in Farmington-the next big town over located about 45 minutes south. I knew it wouldn't be easy and I tried to mentally gear up for any snafus we might encounter. I'd like to say I was doing some 'last minute' shopping which would imply that I was getting just a few things to wrap up my Holiday shopping. But the truth is, I still had/have the bulk of my Christmas shopping to do and I was hoping to knock out the majority of it with this excursion.

Before I start complaining I just need to state clearly that I love Christmas. It is the best part of Winter. It is a time when everyone is a little nicer, a little more helpful, and just all around better. I love that, for a season, the whole world is reminded that our Savior came to Earth to redeem mankind. I mean really, when you think of it that way, what's not to love?

Well, I can say without any hesitation that I grow to loathe more and more each year the commercialization of Christmas. I feel a lot of pressure to get the 'right things' to make opening presents on Christmas morning pleasant. And frankly, when I think about the fact that 'things' are how I gauge the success of Christmas Day, it puts a real wrinkle in my Holiday Joy.

Each fall I have this crazy fantasy of our family going to some third world country and digging ditches all through the 2 week break. We would all be smiling and dirty as we skipped back to our tent to enjoy a holiday meal of beans and rice. We'd come home so grateful for our blessings, that it would purge the material desires right out of us.

But so far it hasn't happened. The reality still is that my kids have expectations on Christmas morning and I keep feeding that proverbial Frankenstein. I do truly try to restrict the monster's diet and not go overboard each year, but I guess material things are all relative and I know that we always have more than we need or sometimes even want. *Sigh* Blah, blah, blah. The fact is, I had some shopping to get knocked out.

So when we got to Farmington, we hit the mall. Jackson and Jebb wandered around with me for a few minutes in their section talking about coats or shirts they liked. I acted only mildly interested. Jackson found one particular shirt with a picture of a basketball with limbs, spinning a basketball on it's finger. Go figure. It was the last of it's kind and I looked at it with him before moving on. Elise was a brilliant partner in sneaky shopping. She took J&J to get a drink while I made a pile of the things I gathered. I snuck back to the basketball with the basketball shirt, and added it to my growing pile. I then had Elise try on some jeans, looked for shirts for the big boys, and wandered around the store in general. We walked past the spot where the Bball shirt had been and Jackson looked grief stricken as he pointed it's absence out to me. "Mom! Someone else got that shirt while we were looking around! I knew we should have grabbed it!" I said, "Well, maybe someone is just looking at it and they will bring it back." He was not comforted. I did manage to get him to help me test out some colognes for Seth, but he carried his disappointment around with him.

I finally had Elise take the boys to the car to watch a movie while I checked out. I met the kids at the car and we headed for Target. This is where I planned to do the bulk of my shopping. I was on the lookout for slippers, toys, stocking stuffers, and electronics. After enjoying a pleasant lunch of Target food, J&J immediately made a beeline for the toy department with Elise following along. It wasn't long before I had grabbed some things I wanted and was wondering where the kids were. I called Elise on the phone and she was upset. Apparently Jackson had found a small toy he wanted, but he refused to set it down. I told her not to fight with him about it and just bring the boys to meet me in the shampoo section (Gabe wants special shampoo...). She called me back a few minutes later and told me that Jackson refused to move from where he was because he didn't want someone to buy the toy he had found while he was away in the shampoo department (remember the Bball shirt?). I headed back to retrieve the kids and by the time I got to them, I was irritated. More irritated than the situation warranted, but for some reason I let the moment bring out all of the frustration and resentment I had about my own perceived responsibility to buy lots of 'stuff.' I was so bugged that Jackson was freaking out about a dumb TOY!

Now of course he is only 8, and he said he just wanted to show me the toy, and he even pointed out that it was very inexpensive. So what did I do? I told everyone we were officially done at Target. We headed for the checkout then out to the car.

Not a shining parenting moment I know. I did manage to get a few items I wanted, but really I only made it all the more difficult for myself because I still have to get some things before the big day. And of course, time waits for no grumpy mother. Christmas is still coming and I let my bah-humbug get the best of me.

In the car we had a little 'talk.' Jebb noticed that I didn't spend any time in the toy section and he is old enough to figure out that I probably didn't buy the Lego set he was eyeing, and he was close to tears. Jackson was really angry we had to leave, and Elise was quiet knowing that how the next few minutes went could directly affect the number of presents under the tree. We all decided to take a breathe and see if we could manage a better attitude while we tried to get our Christmas shopping done.

We headed to Sam's Club for our last stop. Our day seemed to improve. We actually had a great time getting paper towel and whatnot, while sampling things like cheesecake and chicken egg rolls. Jackson liked the rolls, so we bought a whole box! He seemed pleased and stopped walking with his brow furrowed and arms folded. I never cease to be amazed at Jackson's ability to regroup and decide to get along. I think my decision to quit stressing and just try to relax helped a little too. ;)

On the drive back I let the kids watch a happy movie, and by the time we got home, we were all in a flat out good mood. We decided to go and visit Grandma in the hospital. John was there and Kristine looked much better today. She still hasn't eaten, but she seemed more aware of what was going on. The kids were so happy to see her and they probably hugged and kissed her too much. Jebb has been especially concerned about her and I think it reassured him to see her smiling. We quickly wore her out, and we decided we'd eat dinner together at the cafeteria. We recounted our days to each other and enjoyed sitting together. After we were done, we went back to visit Grandma then left so she could get some sleep.

It was a long day that helped me to remember once again that it's the 'stuff' that drives me nuts. What really matters at Christmas is having our loved ones with us. Shoot, that's what matters all of the time! I am glad that in spite of the commercialism, the world does seem to remember that aspect. I guess I will just try to embrace those parts of Christmas that I love and put off my whole 'beans and rice' plan another year.

Kristine is in the Hospital

2011-12-21T20:04:00.004-07:00

Monday night we went to the movies for FHE with 5 or 6 other families in our town. About 1/2 way through, John got a call from Kristine. He left to check on her. Luckily we had two cars, because he never came back to the theater but took her to the hospital instead. She complained pain in her right shoulder and couldn't keep any food down. When they checked her in, they said she had the symptoms of a gall bladder attack. After running some tests late into the night, they determined her gall bladder needed to come out. John got home around 4am, slept a few hours, then went back to the hospital to meet with the doctors there.

They removed her gall bladder using an orthoscopic method on Tuesday afternoon. John spent the whole day at the hospital and missed most of Seminarypalooza so he could be there to answer questions as Kristine seemed very confused and disoriented. She continued to have pain when she ate, so the doctors decided to do another procedure today to clear her bile ducts. They didn't find anything blocking them, but hope that she will feel some relief after they were swept. Her heart raced in the night, but she seems to be all right now.

Gabe and I decided to go and see her today just before the procedure. A friend of ours that works near the hospital was supposed to come over to help John give Kristine a blessing. He had been delayed at work and hadn't gotten there yet. We experienced a tender mercy with Kristine getting a blessing. Between the doctor's schedule, our friend's schedule, us visiting, and where they took Kristine to wait for her procedure, the timing couldn't have been better or more perfect. And had any element been missing, she wouldn't have gotten the blessing she wanted.

This was her second time being sedated in 2 days and it has been hard on her physically and mentally. We haven't taken the kids in to see her but we will tomorrow after she has had a chance to rest and recover. They love her so much and there have been many sincere and earnest prayers said on her behalf.

I just need to say how much I respect and love my good husband. He is amazing with his mom and I don't know what she would do without him there. Hank has been a great help too. He has gone and sat with Kristine late at night and when John has to leave. Families are an amazing gift that God has given us, and I wonder what we would do without our extended ward families when things like blessings are needed. I am glad my boys have such amazing male role models in their lives.

Hopefully, all will go well and she will be home before Christmas. We were planning on taking her to Salt Lake with us next week, but we will all just enjoy more time together here in town. She will be staying at our house which our kids are thrilled about! Come to think of it, I guess she had really better rest up in the hospital while she can! :)

Seminarypalooza 2011

2011-12-20T22:30:00.002-07:00

Tonight I hosted what I called Seminarypalooza 2011. I named it that in a deliberate effort to make it sound much cooler than the game/dinner that I had planned. ;) I was so happy that every kid that was in town attended! I have 18 kids total, but 2 were gone. We also has a few adults representing each ward and the stake.

As the kids were arriving I had them take a piece of green construction paper and from it, create their best Christmas tree. There were stickers they could apply to decorate it, but they weren't allowed to use anything but their hands. And, they had to hold it behind their backs and couldn't peek until they were done. Most of the kids chose the 'tear' method although we did get a few 'origami' trees.

Our next games were relays and competitions. We split up into our 'tribes' and did the marshmallow toss which as you might guess consists of tossing marshmallows into other people's mouths-relay style. Fun, and I suppose the marshmallow fight the boys had with the excess marshmallows was to be expected.

We then played 'Rudolph.' This is where each team races to fill a pair of pantyhose with balloons. Once they have 8 balloons, they place it on a person's head, apply a red sticker to their nose, and shout "Rudolph!" Of course we made the men in attendance wear the antlers. I felt a little bad picking on them, but got over it almost immediately. ;) They were terrific sports!

Then on to the 'Kissing Game' which isn't as scandalous as it sounds for a Seminary party. Another relay competition where you run to get a hershey kiss that you have to unwrap and eat while wearing poofy gloves. Then run back, give gloves to teammate, repeat.

We finished up by playing Pictionary with Christmas Carols. I thought it would be much harder than it was, but apparently you don't need a lot to go on to guess the Carols. This helped us sit and wind down a little before we had DINNER!

A woman in our ward actually catered the whole meal for us, so I didn't have to do a thing. We had a yummy salad, chicken dinner, and dessert. The kids all chatted and smiled and ate. I am thinking I might have to have every meal I eat catered from now on....heehee.

After dinner I gave a short lesson about doing the things that matter FIRST so you don't run out of time. THEN..... I went ahead with an idea I had been vacillating about all week. I made the kids act out my Nativity Play. It was a bit of a joke from earlier in the year. We had done the story of Joseph in Egypt straight from the Bible as a Reader's Theater in class. I imagined it would take less than a day, but it ended up taking 2 whole class periods. I always joke how LOOOOONG it was and how I no longer enjoy reader's theater. So I'm sure some of the kids weren't too jazzed on doing a Nativity Reader's Theater. ;) But the kids were all absolute CHAMPS! They did fantastic and it was really quite fun! And yes, they dressed up using my fabric!!

I started bossing everyone around in earnest

Our Angel and our Star are up in the loft ready to shine!

Our Three Wiseman are trying to find a hotel

Joseph and Mary get turned away by our Innkeeper

The Shepherds Seek Out the Stable

I Narrate the play

The Shepherds Tebow to the Baby

An Audience Member Congratulates Joseph

The play didn't last too long and I made everyone hop in for a group shot before I game them their Christmas Presents.

Seminarypalooza Attendees 2011

I channeled my inner Oprah and gave the kids little bags with some of my 'favorite things.' A couple of my students earned make-up credit by burning CD's for me to give out. It included classics like 'The Books of the Old Testament' and various 'Scripture Rock' song. There were also some assorted treats, but the best part was the pair of Fuzzy Socks I gave to everyone. My students know I love Fuzzy Socks...I might even wear them as footwear on chilly Seminary mornings now and then. ;)

The kids model their Fuzzy Socks

I don't know about everyone else, but I enjoyed our Seminarypalooza 2011! I think I might just have the coolest group of Early Morning Seminary kids on the planet! I hope they all have a Merry Christmas!

Good Egg II

2011-12-19T22:25:00.002-07:00

Well, it looks like we might be on to a really great Holiday Tradition. On this same day last year, we had just finished cleaning the house (what else would you expect me to make the kids do on the first day of Christmas Break?!) I posted about it here. And just like last year, we were working on spiffing up the house for the Holidays. In fact, I really kicked it up a notch and actually had all of the carpets and tile professionally cleaned starting this morning. This meant we needed to get out of the house.

I had the perfect plan. We would go again this year to the Commodities Distribution at the fair grounds. This is a time when needy people in the community can come through and pick up free food. Last year all of the big kids participated, but this year it was just Seth, Jackson, and Jebb, as Gabe and Elise had Bball/dance. When we got there I somehow ended up sorting eggs again like last year. Like last year, it was very messy, but very terrific. Jackson really got into removing broken eggs from the cartons and Jebb helped me replace them with good eggs.

There were a bunch of people from our ward there helping too and it was fantastic to work with them. My friend Patti and her son Derek (one of my seminary students) helped with egg duty. I have to confess that when we first arrived I looked for other stations to man, like cans of corn or frozen chicken. Those are really tidy and straight forward. You get X number of each item if you want it. But those stations were all filled and the egg station was looking very empty. I just remembered last year how it was so messy and difficult to keep up with the line. While other stations were calmly passing out their commodities in the prescribed numbers, all of us at the egg station were sorting, dumping, refilling, and giving. I guess I was feeling a little lazy.

But it was meant to be and this year I absolutely loved doing the eggs. While it was still messy and fast paced, we had the opportunity to give out as many eggs as people wanted to take. No limit! It was so much fun (if that's the right word) to be able to say, "Take as many as you'd like!" or "Here, you better take one more dozen for good measure!" I think I have found the sweet spot at the commodities distribution. It's definitely more work, but the rewards were much greater. All of the other stations had a limit, but we got to give and give and it was so great to make people smile when we did. I feel a smidge guilty because I got to pass out most of the eggs while poor Patti, Derek, and Jackson got stuck sorting. I hope they won't hold it against me and will want to do the egg station with me again next year! :)

Once again going to help out was a really great reality check. I let my stress level get way too high lately, and this helped bring everything in my life back into perspective. I saw one gal I knew whose (now ex-)husband used to work for us at the pit. They both got involved in meth and he went to prison after many run-ins with the law (one of which was stealing the safe from our office). John has kept in touch with him while he is in jail and was sad to hear that their family had broken up. She came through and I reached across the table and hugged her. I think she was about to cry. I smiled and wished her a Merry Christmas and gave her lots of eggs. As she walked off my eyes were burning a little and I said a little prayer for her and her children. It's hard to see people make bad life decisions and watch it ruin years of their lives. I am so grateful for my family and continue to see over and over again the divine wisdom in a strong family unit. Near the end of the long line of people, 3 young men came through. They were very rough looking. They had the whole hat askew/baggy pants thing going on as well as various tattoos and piercings. You know the look. As I watched them I wondered how different would their lives be if they had the love of a mother and a father? I would bet that they don't really have any positive male role models in their lives and I wonder if they had been nurtured during their formative years. As a society we all are impacted by broken homes and weak families. I hope that is something we will soon realize and that there will be a cultural shift towards valuing the traditional family.

OK, OK, I will stop rambling. Once again, a great way to kick of our Christmas break. I think this is a tradition we need to keep and I hope next year there is a spot for me at the egg station.

Year End Changes

2011-12-16T14:37:00.006-07:00

There are some changes going on in our business lives lately and while they probably aren't of much interest to anyone else, I do want to have it in my BigG records.

This has been a difficult week for John. As we have been wrapping up the year end, we have been looking closely at our finances of the past year and projections for the year to come. I guess it is no secret to anyone that the economy is tough. The work has been getting to be thinner and further between since '08. Many of the contractors from our area have either gone out of business or have moved to places like North Dakota. So far, we haven't had to go down either of these roads.

When things were going strong, we had nearly 100 employees. That was several years ago. we had our first initial 'belt tightening' at the same time everyone else did with the financial crash. We downsized and laid off many of our excavation workers. On the excavation side of things, we lived from job to job, wondering if it would be our last. We took any work that came and we were able to stay afloat. A recurring phenomenon was the length of time it took many of our jobs to pay us. Instead of the usual 30-60 days, the new norm was 60-180 days. When you pay all of your own bills on time, that becomes a big issue for what is known as 'cash flow.' More and more it has been increasingly hard to swim against that flow.

I just need to say here that over the years, people would ask us if we had work. I was always able to answer 'Yes.' Every time we would wrap up a job, thinking it was our last, another one would appear and the timing would be almost perfect. Like almost eerily perfect. And that happened for us over and over and over for 3 years now. We never were quite sure where our next job would be, but (and I know this is true) the Lord showed us over and over that he had a plan for us. Even writing this now, I am teary eyed thinking of some of John's sleepless nights wondering about work. He would do all he could to get it, and when we weren't sure where to look anymore, the Lord would show us the path.

We are wrapping up our last big job. And this time, it is different, because this time there is not another job that has come up in front of us. John had been mulling over an idea that kept coming back to him, and has explored every other option because this idea was difficult for him to embrace. But last week, he made the decision to get out of the excavation business altogether. Doing all of those excavation jobs, you build up lots of equipment over time and it becomes a big beast that you need to feed with payments, fuel, repairs, etc. So we will be going to auction with our beasty friend and seeing if we can get out from under him.

Once John made the decision, although it was really difficult, he knew it was the right one. He has had to lay off a lot of employees which was the hardest for him as he feels a lot of responsibility for each man and his family. He states without reservation that this has been one of the most unpleasant weeks he can remember having at work. But he also says that although it really stinks, he feels at peace.

I could sit and speculate all day about why our lives unfold the way they do. In fact, I do that a LOT! ;) Having excavation has enabled us to do a lot of things that we wouldn't have otherwise. We were able to buy land that gave us continued access to the pit (and pay it down a chunk), we were able to buy out other family members that owned a part of the business (which we finished doing officially this month! Yeah!), and we continue to be able to take care of Kristine and our own family. And hopefully, going back to just making gravel will still do that. When I ponder the timing of things, I can't help but notice a few other things that have happened this month. We were able to sign a contract ensuring that we will actually HAVE a gravel pit in years to come. It is in a different location on a place called Ewing Mesa, not far from our current pit. It has been an outright pleasure actually to deal with the owners of the land, which seems to be an uncommon thing these days in business. We also have had another business opportunity present itself last month. Something completely different than construction. I look forward to posting about it when it's a done deal.

It's just crazy how the last month has unfolded. There is a line from 'The Sound of Music' where Maria says that when God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window. That line has come to my mind many, many times this month.

So what will we look like in the new year? Hopefully on the construction front we will be leaner and meaner with positive cash flow going into our spring crushing. On the new business front, hopefully we will be rocking it and I will blog all about it. On the home front I know that our family will be all right. The Lord has taken care of us up to this point in ways that are nothing short of miraculous to me. So recognizing that, I don't know exactly what the new year holds, and if it all turns out to be completely unexpected, then I know it will be what is right for us. I don't expect that it will be easy, but I am trusting the Lord will walk us through whatever it may be. Don't get me wrong I of course am hoping it will be us, holding hands and laughing, as we skip down a flower lined, sunny path!! ;) I guess I'll just have to wait and see until we get there.

Angels Among Us

2011-12-13T15:05:00.006-07:00

This afternoon I attended a luncheon for the Southwest Republican Women here in Durango. Each month we meet, eat, and listen to a speaker. Today's speaker happened to be a beautiful woman named Valerie who ran the Pregnancy Center in town. She talked about what her organization did to help women in the community struggling through an unplanned pregnancy. I found both her and her cause to be uplifting and inspiring.

In most cases, women that come to see them are trying to make a plan. Often they are considering abortion and are seeking other options. Adoption is a rare occurrence, and the PC is mostly trying to educate and uplift soon-to-be mothers. One thing she said that really struck me about our cultural norms was the fact that women will tell her that they would rather abort a baby than give it away. As if giving away a baby was some unspeakable thing for a mother to do, but abortion was just a 'choice' you made with your own body. You only have to ponder that statement for a few moments to realize how effective abortion advocates have been in teaching the women of our culture.

One audience member asked her if their organization did anything to advocate contraception. She said that they did not. She explained it this way. So often girls come to them that have no feeling of worth. They have been taught in school (not to mention on tv, through music, movies, etc.) that they are sexually empowered and can have sex if they want to. In fact, they are treated as though they are expected to have sex. She said that so many girls don't feel like they can even tell a boy 'no' that wants to have sex. Sex is no longer special or valued and these poor girls feel like that is just what girls their age do. Her organization provides councilling and tries to remind these shattered girls that they do matter and they can make positive changes for their futures. So abstinence is what they advocate. Girls can say no.

Valerie also said that there is an explosion in STD's in our area. She said that has become a huge concern to her. She said that the easy availability of contraception offered in schools has done little to stem the tide of new infections. We also learned that fathers being involved is an extreme rarity. What a tragedy! It is such a shame that the feminist movement has had so many untended consequences. They have said that women don't need men to stick around. They encourage women to not hold back sexually. Girls now are reaping the terrible consequences of such misguided and naive advice. Human beings are not animals and we aren't just a product of our hormones or physical appetites. For us to pretend that we are has had devastating psychological and spiritual consequences for a whole generation of girls and their unplanned children.

While it was a very weighty and sometimes discouraging topic, I was so uplifted to see what a positive outlook Valerie had about her work at the PC. She felt like she had the opportunity every day to make someone's life better than it was. It was comforting and encouraging to realize that there are people all around us that are trying to do the right thing and trying to uplift their fellow man. After her talk I went and told her that I felt like she was an angel on earth. I truly believe that. I was humbled and inspired hearing her speak. So often the loudest voices in our communities or culture are the ones that would lead us astray. If you doubt that, just count the number of times that message is sung on the top 40 station. There are numerous references just on the short drive to school! That is the reality of our sex saturated culture. And we know that culture is a powerful influence on your beliefs and actions.

It made me realize how important it is then for me to be repeating the RIGHT message to my family OVER and OVER! We need to be studying the scriptures and the words of our prophets EVERY day! I am not always good at that, but I would like to do better. God has shown us a better way and we need to be sure that our families our getting that message to counter the one they see and hear every day at school. I am so grateful to have the knowledge we do. We were created in God's image and he wants great things for our lives. We can't be distracted or deceived by the messages in the world.

OK, I will climb down off my soapbox and just say one more time how grateful I am to know that there are good people diligently seeking to walk in the path they believe God would have them on. It makes me happy! :)

Ward Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-10T22:56:00.003-07:00

Tonight was the ward Christmas party. With John gone to Dallas, I was on my own. This year, although I did not volunteer, I somehow ended up in charge of costumes for the Nativity play. OK, I act as if I don't know why I was put in charge of costumes, but the fact is that everyone knows I have this big box of fabric that has been around for years. Anytime the Primary kids 'go to Jerusalem' or learn about Book of Mormon stories for sharing time, my box of fabric has costumed us for the adventure. Seriously, if you have attended Primary in Durango, you have dressed up in my fabric at some point, So of course I got the call and the assignment when it was time to dress up to see Baby Jesus.

The timing for the party was not the best as it happened to fall on the same night that Gabe was playing against Bayfield in basketball. It is a game I would really have liked to attend because we know lots of the peeps from there. But with my fabric responsibilities, I missed it. He called me part way through dinner to tell me the game was over. I dashed to the high school and picked him up. I got back just in time to miss dinner and get the kiddos ready for the play.

The kids in front of the stage comprise the choir

Our Wisemen!

Mary and Joseph

It was a lovely evening. I always like good live theater. Things like this are always more fun though when John is here go with me. :)

Doing Some Things and Missing Others

2011-12-07T09:40:00.004-07:00

This morning I am blogging from the local Republican office in our town. I volunteered (under some peer pressure) to take the morning shift today from 9-1. While the office is located on the main road next to a hopping coffee shop, if you are familiar with the politics of my town, you might be able to guess that our office stays pretty quiet.

I did have some binders and my ipad to carry in, so I did have something to do when I arrived. But once I brought in my stuff, organized it, then moved it to a better spot (which took about 14 seconds) I didn't have much else to do. The phone actually rang when I was outside getting my binders at about 9:03, but there was no message. I am guessing it was our office coordinator seeing if I was here and had figured out the lock.

When you volunteer in the office, you have the option of calling Repubs in the county to let them know about the upcoming caucuses in February. Um, ya, I'm most likely not going to do that. Have I ever explained how I feel about calling people on the phone? That is definitely a NIOP topic. NOIP=Needs It's Own Post for me to explain. Moving on. There is a lending library full of conservative manifestos, constitutional essays, and Founding Father biographies. But I don't see anything that catches my fancy that I don't already own. ;) I did bring my seminary lesson for tomorrow so I could study and be prepared with a spiritual, inspiring, thorough lesson on Deuteronomy. Frankly, I'm just not in the mood.

So I have nothing to do (laundry and dishes are hard to process remotely). Or more accurately, I am choosing not to do anything....except write in my blog.

I miss blogging.

It is a great little exercise for my brain. I find that as I go about my life I think "I gotta blog about that." And in the last few months, I haven't. It seem like I just have other things that need doing. I want to change my priorities a little bit and bump blogging back up to it's rightful 7th or 8th position.

Last night was our ward Relief Society dinner. It was at the home of a lovely woman and our RS Presidency is a bunch of cool cats that I really enjoy-not to mention the woman of our ward in general...top notch.

But, I missed it.

I decided that I wanted to sit with John, Seth, and Elise and watch Gabe play his first home basketball game. They had their first game ever last week while participating in a tournament down in New Mexico. This team just happened to be the very team they played. And at the tournament they got spanked! So Gabe was pretty nervous for tonight's game. **Let me interrupt this paragraph to brag for a moment. Gabe was named to the All Tournament team last week-whatever that means** OK, back to the game. Gabe was really hoping to start for his first official JV home game, but didn't think he would because the coaches brought down a couple of varsity players to beef said JV team previously spanked. Gladly, he did get to be a starter, but was not in his usual position and seemed a little out of sorts for several minutes. Gladly-er, he and his team settled in for a hard won victory! Yippee! It is just too fun watching your kids compete while in the company of your other kids. I would say that it is 'delightful' even.

Although I missed fellowshipping with my RS girls, I managed to actually visit with several ward members. Our neighbors were there watching the game too. One of my seminary students is on the dance team and she sat with us for a while (love her!) A bunch of my other students were there too and were kind enough to give me a wave or a nod. :) I loved our basketball evening, and I would have loved the RS dinner too, but sometimes you just have to make a choice. There are always things you can be doing but it can't all be done at once. And I am learning more and more that it's OK. As long as you do something then you just have to be content that you can't do everything.

We learned in Seminary today that ETBenson says that if you put God first in your life, everything else will fall into place or drop out altogether. I am going to try and view my choices through that lense more often because right now it seems like I have a lot of stuff that vies for my time. So this morning, with the time I have, I post. :)

Jackson and the Little Red Hen

2011-12-03T20:22:00.006-07:00

Now that Jackson is 8, he has joined the ranks of the Cub Scouts. Fantastic Program, love love love it. So far Jackson has not accomplished anything in it. Yes, he has attended a few pack activities, but he hasn't even yet earned the simplest of rank advancements, that of Bobcat. It is not because he lacks enthusiasm, but mostly it is because I do. Let me just restate for the record that I think Scouting is a great program. I just have been a slacker with the whole scouting thing.

Today was actually a pack meeting and it got me thinking. Jackson was asked last week at his pack activity to take home some grocery bags. He was supposed to distribute them to our neighbors asking them to donate food for the local food bank. We had them sitting on our table for a couple of days before anything happened to them. Jackson got home from school and I mentioned the bags. He decided he needed to get them delivered and gathered them up and got on his bike. I suggested he wait until Seth got home so he could drive him in the mule. But Jackson was not in any mood to wait. He was ready to get the job done and he rode off down the road. He returned a short while later and I asked him if he had delivered his bags. "Yes," was about all I got out of him. The Blakes told me later in the day that he had come to the door and explained the food drive to them. Brad noted that Jacks had written the pick up date on the bag as well (which I didn't know) and said he and Janelle got a kick out of his spelling of 'Sadurday.'

Sadurday morning came and Jackson was up, dressed in his scout shirt, and ready to collect the bags. While I helped the other kids get ready, John drove him down and Jackson was 3 for 3 on full bags. John let him go to the door and collect the bags. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for both the dropping off and picking up conversations that he had with our neighbors, you always hope your kid at least says thank you! :) We headed out for the pack meeting and I made John stop at the store so we could pick up a few items to contribute to the pot luck breakfast they were having in conjunction with the usual information and awards. There was a 'get to know you' activity that I didn't really participate in which gave me a few minutes to reflect.

I haven't really helped out in scouting. I know that lots of the stuff you do gets done at home, but I am talking about parent participation in the meetings and group activites. I am barely getting Jackson there, let alone jumping in to volunteer to bring wood, horses, or dodge balls. But the activities still happen thanks to dedicated leaders and participating parents. I am usually of the Little Red Hen school of thought. If you can, you need to be participating and helping with things you value. That is why I sing in the ward choir-not because I have a pleasant voice, but because I think music during worship is a good thing. So I was feeling some pangs of guilt. I have not participated in Scouting, and yet here is Jackson jumping in and collecting his food. Granted, he still doesn't have a single patch for me to put on his shirt, but He had what I felt like was a really great experience. And I just kind of showed up.

To top it off, there was a blood drive going on and I did NOT donate! There were a few openings and I said no! I didn't feel like pitching in and helping out. I know that sometimes you just have to do what you can do. But I still feel guilt for not doing more in some things like blood and scouting.

I am Grateful

2011-11-30T18:21:00.006-07:00

I am grateful. I really am. I did not post this Thanksgiving though, because my laptop decided it was done. I thought of tapping something out on my iPad, but just couldn't quite conjure up the will.

So Thanksgiving came and went without me documenting in my personal journal that I have a LOT to be thankful for. But darn it, I DO! i have so, so much to count as blessings. I have family, friends, church, community, and country to be thankful for. Sometimes it leaves me almost speechless when I look back and consider where I now am. I have everything that matters in life and I acknowledge that it has all come from a loving, interested Heavenly Father. For that assurance I am most grateful.

Our Turkey Day ended up being a fun, almost intimate family time for us. We thought my parents were coming for the holiday, but it is hard for them to leave SLC where my grandma is in a nursing home. We had the whole week off of school and I was a little bummed we hadn't taken that cruise I was dreaming of... :) but we managed to have some great family time anyhow.

Some dear friends of ours had given us a gift certificate to one of our favorite local attractions-the Hot Springs. John took all of the kids over to Wolf Creek to ski for the day on Wednesday, while I stayed home to make pies and rolls. It was a fantastic day for everyone. The kids had a blast, John loved every second, and I was productive which makes me happy. We met Wed evening to soak and share stories of the day.

Thursday morning I took Gabe and Seth home early so they could attend the annual Turkey Bowl with the men in the ward. John took the 3 littles for another soak before heading home. Once we were all home again, the bigger kids helped me get ready for dinner while J&J helped John rotate the tires on the mini 4wheeler. It sounds pretty mundane, but it was such a perfect day! I burned the snail rolls (a genetic tick) and we all ate too much. I had baked into the rolls different things that the kids said they were thankful for. It seemed like a good idea at the time, each roll like a grateful fortune cookie/roll. Instead, we all ceded up eating bits of paper that we couldn't quite fish out of the bread. Delightful. But pretty funny too! :)

This picture of burnt rolls is for my mom! ;)

We watched a James Bond marathon that was on TV while digesting in preparation for dessert. Everyone was content and not fighting (quite an achievement I hate to admit). John and I ate some apple pie together (heated with ice cream) and we just laughed and smiled together as we recounted the day. He showed me the pics of J&J he had taken in the shop and I told him how the big boys set the table without complaining. It was almost magical! ;)

We savored the moment and talked about how blessed we are. Not that everything is perfect, but we can certainly see God's hand in our lives. He has made things work out in ways we never could have guessed when we started our lives together. These times with our family are life's greatest pleasures. I don't want to forget that when I get distracted by the world and it's busy-ness.

So I am grateful. Really, really grateful.

I'm Just Gonna Say It

2011-11-13T22:03:00.001-07:00

OK, I'm just going to say it....trying to catch up on 4 months worth of past blog posts B.L.O.W.S.!! WAY!

The end.

The First Snowman of the Season

2011-11-07T17:12:00.001-07:00

Ezra's Time

2011-11-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend we got to go to Utah. We got to attend the baptism of my nephew, Ezra. He is the oldest of 5 children in his family, so is of course the first to be baptized. As we took our seats and waited for the service to begin, I reflected on my own little family and thought how it doesn't seem like that long ago when we were baptizing our oldest child, Gabe. He happened to be sitting not that far from me, and as I looked over to see what he and our youngest child were fighting about (apparently there was a dispute over who called what seat) I had this weird moment where I just kind of held my breathe and willed it all to slow down. Although Gabe and Jebb are 9 years apart, it felt like it was only nine months or nine days since Gabe was Jebb-sized.

One day I was talking to a woman that I admire very much. I was telling her how some days seemed to just go on forever (and not in a good way). She wisely said that she understood that sometimes the days went slow, but the years went fast.

I get it. I see it. I feel it.

I don't like it.

After the baptism (which was lovely), John and I sat together watching my brother, his wife, and their 5 young children. We looked at one another and kind of chuckled. This time I thought how, while that was once us, it seemed as though it was a lifetime ago, or maybe nine lifetimes. Although I know that not long ago we were changing diapers, feeding toddlers, answering endless questions, while cleaning up the latest mess, I just couldn't really relate to it anymore. The memory of it disappears as fast as apple juice spilled on a church carpet.

So I have decided that time is a funny thing. Too often I am willing it to speed up, or slow down. I need to remember once again to simply enjoy the time I have right now.

A few other happenings/pictures over the weekend:
_________________

Jackson requested I take this next picture. He thought that their matching suits and ties were photo worthy. I agree.

And of course I can't attend a family function without bossing everyone into a group shot.

_________________

We stayed with my parents this weekend and after we all got ready, the three women of the house (my mom, me, and Elise) came together in the living room to get in the car. I was super weirded out. I know we are all related and stuff, but our whole clothing choice was a little spooky.

My mom and I had on almost freakishly similar sweaters. They both were ruffled and had this funky shiny yarn in them. Our skirts were a very similar cut too. Of course our colors were very different, but as I looked over at Elise I realized that her blouse and skirt were the identical colors to my mom's outfit. So I had the same fabric and cut, and Elise had the same color combo as my mother! There's a good chance that I am the only one that thinks it was a fabulously bizarre coincidence, but I of course took a picture of it anyway. Sometimes you can't fight your genetics I suppose.

___________________

We had a couple of business meetings this weekend as we work on a new idea. I will have to elaborate more if things become concrete. It felt nice to do something tangible to move the concept forward.

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This might be one of the poorest birthday-candle-blowing-out shots ever, but I am posting it anyway. It was Ty's 20th birthday today! We love that guy!

The Face of Fear

2011-10-31T13:06:00.003-06:00

Wow. Uh. Wow. It has been nearly 3 months since I have posted a blog. Of course, I am planning to go back and fill in the gap with old posts that I predate, making it seem as though I have been on top of it all. ;) But alas, I am not. Since taking on Early Morning Seminary, I have found the block of time (usually 3-4 hours) it takes me to do it each day has crowded out many extras (like blogging) in my life. I am still trying to figure out how to fit everything I would like to into my day, but haven't quite got it tackled. I figured though, if I let much more time go by-knowing me-I might never blog again. So here I am.

Today is a holiday that celebrates all things scary. In my life lately, I have pondered Fear, and it's polar opposite-Faith. I certainly admit to being a huge scaredy cat. Scary movies? Hate em. Gore, blood, and guts? No thanks. Creepy or disturbing? Uh, not so much. I typically do not partake, so these types of frights are usually far from my mind.

But often in the little gears spinning in my head, one comes loose and manages to spin and spin unimpeded by my better judgement. By this I mean that I sometimes tend to get stuck on one idea and mull it over for far too long. And often, I let it spin until it has become a little scary or has even filled me with fear. It also tends to keep the other gears from moving as they should, effectively renderings me somewhat useless and stuck.

I don't wrestle with images of ghouls, gobblins, or vampires. I wrestle with things in my life that to me seem insurmountable or beyond my control. Things which will impact me or my family in an adverse way. Here's my list of the spinning gears currently occupying my brain:

-This week we will attend a final meeting for public input on a highway improvement near our home. While CDOT has had the alignment mapped out for years (they have even built bridges to tie into the new alignment), they have been exploring 'alternate routes' because one land owner that will be impacted has a TON of money and influence. The other alignment they are considering just happens to pass right through our living room, then continues on through some real estate we have been trying to sell. It has put a big strain on us financially waiting for the decision to be made, and it keeps getting pushed off over and over. I want them to just make a stupid descision! I want to know what will happen! I have done what I can by writing letters and hiring lawyers, but often, the gear begins to whirrrrl.

-The county has decided it would like to build a new fairground/multi-event center. They are eyeing a piece of real estate currently owned by the BLM. It would be a great location for such a thing as it is close to the highway and right next to city limits. Sadly for us, it also happens to be the land that we lease from the BLM to mine gravel for our business. So oddly enough, the BLM has determined that it is no longer interested in renewing our mining lease, and is now considering gifting the land to the county. We should have a couple more years on the lease, but then it is up in the air. We have been working to secure another location on private land, but the owner lives in Texas and it has been slow going. Sometimes the gear that is annoyed with government entities goes into overdrive.

-So I have gotten involved in local politics. I have become aware of policy and politicians in my area. I am the Secretary of our county GOP and I get to attend all kinds of meetings and keep notes of said meetings. I like it, except when it is on weekends and evenings because...

-I have 5 kids. The oldest 2 have been doing football (almost over) and our only daughter has jumped into dance classes with both feet. So I get lots of time with my two youngest from the time they get off the bus until dinner time when I make my best effort to round everyone up so we can eat together (far too often this is not at our dinner table at our home).

-And our home is where Grandma is living. She has been in a 5th wheel trailer that is painfully not sufficient for her needs. We have ordered her a new 'park home' that will hopefully suit her better. We have recently hired permanent help to be with her for several hours a day to ensure pills are taken, errands are run, and general help is given. We are doing our best to help her stay independent, but are taking it day by day as she has had marked changes in ability.

-All of these things cost money, so we are exploring construction possibilities in North Dakota. Not the climate I would prefer, but the big oil play there is paying good money especially when compared to our job-thin area. We don't want to have to lay off any of our crews through the winter as they have families and lives too. We hope to keep them working.

-And because we would like to diversify in business somewhat, we have been exploring many other ideas and avenues to create more revenue. These 'explorations' will likely result in my hubby doing a fair amount of traveling in the near future. While I don't mind that too much, when he is home, he does have...

-Bishopric duties that take him to meetings and activities when he is around. Sometimes I miss his face but of course I am all for church service which is why I...

-Teach Early Morning Seminary. Which has brought me to Exodus 14, the place I learned this lesson today:

In Exodus 14 the Children of Israel have left Egypt, but they are not quite in the clear. Pharaoh is having a change of heart and sends all of his chariot dudes after them. Even though the C of I had just seen 10 gnarly plagues that trashed the Egyptians, they saw those soldiers coming and they panicked. They even said they wished they had never left Egypt. Seems lame, but they are afraid. Their task of escaping seems too big because they can't see the way out.

But Moses hangs strong and in verse 13 he says to them, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord..."

So he basically tells them to pull it together and just be still. I sometimes forget in all of my rushing around that I need to take time to be still and know that God is still there. He then said (and I love this) "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

The Lord has it all under control. He will fight our battles for us. We just need to not fear, but have faith. OK, I can usually do all of that. It's verse 15 that I sometimes forget to do. The Lord tells Moses to "speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward"

The Lord commanded them to move their feet and walk away from the Egyptians. Sounds easy right, but the only problem is that they were backed up to the Red Sea, and it was still just a big body of water up to this point.

The Lord told them to start walking, but he hadn't yet split the sea.

I never noticed that before and I am so glad I got to relearn this story and some of it's details. When the C of I were backed up against the Red Sea, with soldiers bearing down on them, the were afraid. Moses told them to 1-be still so that they could 2-have faith enough to hold their peace and then 3-they needed to exercise that faith and take a step toward what seemed like in insurmountable obstacle (I don't think slaves learn to swim). They had to start toward the sea before they could walk through on dry land.

Fear and Faith are opposites. I need to remember to be still, have faith, and move forward. Too often I let those gears in my head spin and spin until...I am afraid. I forget all of the good things in my life (which are MANY).

I need to consider the Children of Israel and Moses who leads them out of slavery. He records the pattern for receiving miraculous solutions to seemingly large problems. The Lord has brought us to this place in our life. He had always been there directing our path, I know this is true. I need to remember that He knows the solution, even if I can't see it yet. So I need to keep my gears engaged and keep moving forward as I exercise my faith in Him.

Then maybe I will have time to keep blogging, maybe read a book, or quilt a little bit! Until then, I will keep at it and try to be still so I can know the way to go. :)

Mormon Helping Hands

2011-10-22T22:06:00.003-06:00

Today we participated in a Mormon community day of service. I did not type that title in CAPS because I am not sure if it was a church wide thing, or just something in our region. I know they did some service down in New Mexico because I hear the radio adds a lot. :) Our ward decided to do a clean-up along the River Trail. It is a walking path that runs along the river and also along the railroad tracks. We had a great time, although I think it would have been better to be at the front of the pack because we had a hard time finding trash after other tidy Mormons had gone ahead of us. There was a luncheon afterwards and I am really glad our family got to participate.

Elise is 12!

2011-10-19T21:55:00.005-06:00

Our beautiful Elise is 12! No longer a little girl, she is now considered a Young Woman. She has been working really hard to complete her Faith in God for Girls and managed to go right down to the wire. Reading the Book of Mormon and memorizing all of the Articles of Faith were 2 that she saved right until the end. Luckily, she finished and besides the satisfaction that comes from completing such a big task, she also qualified for a solo trip with Dad on the motorcycle next Spring. I am really proud that she finished everything. :)

Of course I made her let me take her picture on the back porch.

Jebb really wanted his picture taken too. Elise was a good sport about it.

But I chased him off so I could take a few more.

Only to have his jump through this picture! Crazy Jebb!

Elise's birthday was a really busy day for her. She played with the orchestra at an 'Empty Bowl' dinner at her school. All of the ceramics students make bowls to sell (Here is Elise's). The students then serve a soup dinner where you can donate whatever you want in order to eat. All of the proceeds go to our local soup kitchen. Pretty cool way to spend a birthday evening, by serving our community. Way to go Elise!

We got home pretty late and quickly put candles on the cake for Elise to blow out. G&G Ross called on the phone while we sang Happy Birthday. Papa Ross made her a treasure chest which she felt very privileged and special to have. I have to say though, that here favorite gift was the one that Seth got for her. Those two (when they are not fighting) have a really close relationship. He bought her some headphones with his own money (they are a lot more expensive than I thought they were) and he was SO excited for her to open them.

Elise is a really special member of our family, and not only because she is the only girl. She is always willing to help our her brothers or me. She is a very smart girl that tries to do what is right. I am so glad she is in our family! Happy Birthday to a wonderful Young Woman!

How to Lose 5 Lbs. Seth Style

2011-10-09T23:09:00.006-06:00

What do you do on the Sunday afternoon after your football season ends? Well, if you're Seth, and you no longer need to fill up your large helmet, you decide to get a haircut. I tried to get him to let me take some 'before' pictures, but he wasn't being very cooperative.

When John wasn't yet home from church, we grew bored of just thinking about doing something with Seth's hair, so we decided to see how long it really was. We flat ironed it.

We all agreed that while Seth is a handsome dude, this was not his best look. After entertaining the idea, he decided he would NOT wear this hairstyle to school. The $20 Gabe offered him was not enough of an incentive. And besides, John got home and was ready to cut.

I think the haircut cost him about 5 pounds and 2 inches in height! But I sure think it looks good!

Middle School Football Champs

2011-10-08T22:59:00.003-06:00

Today was Seth's final football game of the season. The boys had an undefeated season and managed to continue that trend and win the championship game. Way to go Eagles!

We are loyal fans. The kids all had me apply purple hairspray for the game.

Seth has been anxious to cut his hair, but has waited until the football season was over. Apparently he really like the helmet he had even though it was almost too big for him. He said that if he cut his hair, it wouldn't fit for sure, so he waited. :)

Jebb Loses a Tooth

2011-09-26T23:20:00.002-06:00

Tonight Jebb lost his first tooth. He was VERY excited! I hope the Tooth Fairy remembers to come (as she is notoriously lousy in our home)! Yeah Jebb!

Scout Pins

2011-08-30T22:09:00.000-06:00

Tonight I attended a Scouting Court of Honor for Gabe and Seth. Both boys have been involved in the Scouting Program for years, first as Cub Scouts, and then as Boy Scouts since age 11. I will let you do the math on how many years that is.

This was a really great CofH because this is the first time either of my boys had been recognized with a rank advancement. In Scouting, if you attend activities, go on campouts, and pass of different tasks, you can advance over time in your 'rank'. The ranks are: Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, and Life. After all of those are complete, you can then work on becoming an Eagle Scout (AKA the big kahoona of scouting ranks).

Up to this point in time, my boys, who had both participated often, had yet to advance for a reason that is still somewhat of a mystery to me. When an advancement is made, both the boys and their mothers are recognized. The mothers (that's me) receive a little pin which symbolizes all of the begging, pleading, and nagging that must go on for a scout to finally pass stuff off. Heehee Just kidding. My boys have actually received very little nagging from me to make their advancements. I like to think I was a pleasant source of cheerful encouragement to attend those scouting activities. Anyhoo.

Tonight Gabe got 5 rank advancements. And yes, that is almost all of 'em. This normally would have been accomplished over his 4+ years, but as I said, tonight was the first time he has gotten a rank advancement. I used to let it trouble me somewhat, but I have decided to just embrace it and admire all of those little pins. Seth too did some advancing of his own. He got 2 cute little pins in his 3 years it has taken to get them.

Gabe puts on my pins-all 5!

Seth pinned me twice

Aw, we are such happy campers!

So YEAH! HOORAY! and WHOOPTY DO! Although it has been both painfully and mystifyingly late in coming, I am glad the boys made some advancements finally tonight!!!

Back to School 2011

2011-08-22T08:23:00.002-06:00

It's Back to School time. So of course I am going to bust out the camera! Gabe starts HS this year, Seth and Elise will be at the middle school, and just the youngest 2 are left in elementary! My how time flies. We have had a great summer and I can honestly say that this year I am not ready to hop back into school. I could go for another 3-4 weeks of no responsibility.

Everyone was fairly cooperative, although I think I will call Gabe's pic 'Too cool for school' ;) I'll chalk it up to nerves.

Here's looking forward to a great school year!

Bye Ty!

2011-08-17T16:33:00.002-06:00

We have loved having our nephew, Ty, staying with us this summer. He is headed home for school this fall. We will miss him!

A Few Thoughts on Service, Laundry, and the Old Testament

2011-08-04T15:58:00.003-06:00

What a whirlwind the last month has been. I am still reeling from the idea that we are now well into August! July was a crazy, busy, difficult, wonderful, lots of changes, kind of a month. If I had been updating my blog regularly, you would know that we had something going on every week. This Spring, around April, I started thinking about our summer. I put a few things on the calendar that I knew we had, but for the most part, I was doing my best to keep July wide open. I knew we had Jackson's baptism, but the rest of the month I daydreamed of enjoying our town (as I think that Durango in July=Heaven) and maybe sneaking in a few trips to Lake Powell. I didn't sign anyone up for long camps or lessons. We were just going to take it as it came.

And of course I should have remembered that Nature abhors a vacuum, so, come it did.

The first full week in July turned out to be the Ross Reunion. We had family wall-to-wall as we Made Memories together. It was awesome! But it was a lot of work! I was up early and to bed late every night as I tried to get the most out of it all. After it was all over, I was left with a lot of laundry, and we also had one of my nephews left behind too. Ty is Kim's oldest son and he is living with us for a while as he is working to earn money to return on his mission. He is a great kid and we have loved having him.

Of course, with Ty here, our family is doing it's best to show him some of the fun things there is to do in Durango. There have been lake days, river floats, cliff jumps, and general goofing off. Don't get me wrong, all of the boys are still working hard, but the level of play has been elevated a bit too! ;)

When I finished the laundry from the Ross Reunion, people started arriving for Jackson's baptism. We had both sides of the family represented. Kip came with his family plus a few friends. Nicole and Kim came with their kids, and of course G&G Ross made the trip for Jackson's most special day. I am just going to say that it was a little weird having a basement full of teenagers that technically weren't all related to each other! I was a little uptight about it, but of course it was all just good teenage fun. Gabe was a little miffed that they couldn't all just sleep on the couch in the Family Room together like they often have in years past. Luckily, we had enough rooms for everyone to sleep separately.

Once again, laundry was done as beds were changed and towels washed in anticipation of our annual visit from the Koford Klan. This is a tradition I hope we always keep because we always get to have a fun adventure when they come to town. And my husband always manages to relax and have a great time! This year was no different. The Kofords came the weekend before Pioneer Day and we did all kinds of fun local stuff. It is fun to be a tourist in our town sometimes!

We bid farewell to the Kofords, then we geared up for the final week of July. Instead of having more visitors, this time we got to go on a roadtrip. We helped Nicole move from here longtime home in Page to her new digs in Amarillo. It was quite the traveling adventure and one we will not soon forget. We had a surprisingly fun time loading, driving, unloading, and driving some more. I was so happy that we got to see where the Martins will call home for the next 3 years.

And now...it is August. Just like that.

My explanation of the month was to illustrate that I have been busy. I can honestly say that it doesn't just sound like I was busy, but I really felt like I was busy too. :) Which is a good thing. It was a great kind of busy. It was the kind where I had a purpose and a project for each week, and between visits, I really had to be on the ball to clean up and gear up. I think everything went pretty well for the most part (except I didn't really feed the Kofords-they had to eat cold cereal and anything they could scrounge up ;) -cooking by that 3rd week just wasn't happening...).

I do well when I am that kind of busy. I find that I am better at prioritizing and not procrastinating when my schedule is full. I tend to be happier and more productive. It has been an interesting month because even with all of the business, it has been the kind that has made me reflect and ponder the important things in life. Family, friends, and faith. They were all in the forefront it seemed as I went about my month. In the quiet moments late at night or folding towels, I found that my mind and my heart have been especially open and tender. I have felt the Spirit whispering to my heart and my mind how important certain things are in my life. This is not a typical thing for me in the course of a month. While I try to listen to the Still Small Voice, I can say that I don't usually feel it as often and as close as I have this July. It has been interesting and unexpected.

I'll just write about 1 thing that happened. On Pioneer Day, it was my turn to teach the lesson in Young Women. There was some confusion on my part about what lesson I was to teach and our President was on a cruise. The other councilor suggested I teach lesson 32, 'Service in the Community.' And yes, it was even more boring that it sounds. Luckily, Jill was here and she just happened to learn that her parents were in the newest issue of the Ensign, featured as a missionary couple that was serving in Turkey. Yeah! I put the Ensign in my church bag and forgot about it until Sacrament Meeting that Sunday. I was flipping through my manual and kept coming back to Lesson 31 'Service in the Church.' I had read through it a few days earlier and had considered teaching it instead. I had even done a Google search looking for the Willie and Martin Handcart Company Sweetwater River rescue story. There is a good summary here if you aren't familiar with it. I couldn't find the video clip I had in mind for it, so I decided not to teach 31. I put down my manual and pulled out the Ensign (while listening to the Sacrament Meeting talks of course). I had forgotten to mark the page where Jill's parents were featured, so I flipped to the back where I thought it was. I found this article. It tells of the rescue of the handcart companies by those in SLC. What a coincidence! ;)

So when I walked into Young Womens that Sunday, I told the girls that I wasn't exactly sure what our lesson would be, but that we would figure it out together. So I talked about Service and in Community and Service in the Church. As I read the story of the handcart pioneers the Spirit was really strong. I closed our lesson by sharing my testimony of Service. I thought of my girls in our class and especially about the older ones that would be leaving us soon. I told them that I knew that if they decided right now that they would always accept callings in the church, and if they would do their best to fulfill them, they would never regret it and their lives would be blessed in ways that would be unexpected and great. The Spirit testified to my heart once again that this was true. I was so glad I got to teach that lesson and was happy knowing that I had given the lesson I was supposed to.

As is so often the case in my life, I learned very soon that the lesson I taught, while it might have been meaningful to the YW, was especially relevant to what I was going through. The next week, right after I got home from Texas, a High Councilman stopped by our house (he also happens to be our neighbor, so I didn't think too much of it). After he visited with John and I for a while, he said he was actually at our house to extend a call to me.

Gulp.

He asked if I would be willing to teach Early Morning Seminary.

Double Gulp.

This is not a new calling to this household, as John taught EMS for 2 years. I saw firsthand the enormous amount of time and preparation it took for him to fulfill that calling. It was not easy. But I also saw firsthand how John serving brought our family a lot of blessings. I accepted.

So I will now be teaching the Old Testament every day before school to the 9-12 graders in both Durango Wards. Gabe will actually be a Freshman this year and he will attend each day with me-very cool (at least for me)!

And I am a little scared.

But now I know why I have had the month I did. The Lord was laying the groundwork for me to remember how important it is for all of us to 'Put our Shoulders to the Wheel.' Living in a ward like ours (a small one) we are often called on to do what seems like a lot. But if each of us will serve willingly, the load gets spread around. I know how grateful I am for the people that serve and teach my children. I also know that the Lord will never give us more that we can handle. I love that there has never been any recorded instance of the Willie and Martin Handcart Company members complaining that their trial was too much. In fact, they said that it was in their extremity that they learned to know God. He pushed the carts when they couldn't go another step.

OK, some of them did die along the way....but I am hoping that is now an applicable lesson for what I am going to do! ;) I just know that God prepared my heart because He knows that I am going to need to remember the Truth the Spirit whispered to me when it is 6 in the morning and I don't want to get out of bed yet! That is the reason I am writing it here as well. I need to remember. I need to remember that I know God knows me and my busy life. And He loves me and wants what is best for me. Because of this, He gives me a chance to serve. I hope I won't have to be in a state of 'extremity' the entire year, but I do hope I will grow closer to God through this service.

Crazy month? Yes. And so just how it needed to be so I could be prepared to serve.

16 Years and Still Goin' Strong

2011-07-22T22:20:00.002-06:00

Today is my anniversary. John and I were married 16 years ago, and I now know that it takes 16 years for the magic to completely DIE. Dead. Gone.

I wouldn't have know this was the case had you asked me about it even 1 day ago. I thought we pretty much had it going on after all these years. Apparently I was wrong.

This afternoon, after a fabulous day of fun with our good friends the Kofords, we came home and I thought I would upload a short video to facebook for Gabe (it was G and John jumping off Baker's Bridge). I sat down to my computer and pulled up FB. As is FB's way, it let me know that today was the birthday of one of my favorite people, Cathie (Worthington) Hughes. I paused for a moment as I was moving my fingers to post a message on her wall.

Today is Worthy's birthday? I thought to myself.

I kind of paused in a stupor as several thoughts collided in my brain that were not adding up.

If today was Worth's birthday, that meant it was July 22, AKA the day I got married.

Which meant...

uh....

how could it be?....

Today was my anniversary!??!!!!

I looked at a calendar to confirm my now terrifyingly growing realization that, yes, it was indeed, my ANNIVERSARY!

And I had completely. totally. absolutely. forgotten!

Because we were all home from a busy play day, members of the family were strewn randomly around the house. I walked out of the office into the music room where several kiddos had congregated.

"Where is your dad? Today is our anniversary."

They gave me shoulder shrugs and blank stares.

I went to my room.

There I found John, sitting on our little couch reading something. I jumped onto his lap, threw my arms around his neck and asked him if he knew what day this was. He looked a little bewildered, until I said, "Happy Anniversary Honey! Please tell me that you didn't get me anything special."

A look of recognition flashed across his eyes and I knew he had forgotten as well. It was then his turn to have the whole stupor of thought as too many thoughts collided in his brain. He was at a loss for words.

I started laughing and so did he. By this time the news had spread to the whole household and we were all getting a pretty good chuckle out of it all. John admitted that he had signed a bunch of documents this morning and had dated each one without it even registering.

With the reunion, Jackson's baptism, and lots of fun company and activities, our anniversary had been completely forgotten.

While I was originally thinking this was all rather sad and pathetic, maybe it is just a sign that our relationship is soooo good, that we don't even need to mark silly things like anniversaries. Every day is a celebration of our glorious union.

Or whatever.

Still, I cannot believe we forgot! Rod and Jill (champs that they are) agreed that we all needed to go out to dinner to commemorate this outrageous lapse in memory. We went to our favorite, Mahogany Grill, where I had the best steak of my life-or at least of the 16th year of my marriage!

It was a perfect end to what had actually been a super perfect day! We even had managed to have Jill get some pictures of us before we actually remembered it was a day worth taking a shot of! :)

We have been married now for 16 years and I can truly say that it keeps getting better! We are still goin' strong!

Happy Anniversary Babe!

Party at Kenna's

2011-07-20T17:31:00.004-06:00

Kenna had a bunch of us over for Elle's party! It was cool to see Jackie and Jan and lots of the cousins. Megan is in town so it's a great time to celebrate. I stole these photos from Megan's blog...thank you! :) My kids loved the weird feats of bodily skill that Jackie showed us like stepping over the broom and rolling while holding our feet! :)

Jackson Gets Baptized! 8 is Great!

2011-07-17T22:00:00.008-06:00

Jackson Grey Gilleland is 8 today! In our faith this is a special birthday because this is when we get baptized. We were fortunate enough to have Kip's famiy, G&G Ross, Kim and Nate, and the Martins visiting here for his special day. John, Jebb, Aunt Kim, and I took him up to DMR on Saturday. He had been wanting to 'pan for gold' up there. He and Jebb rode with us on the Alpine slide and climbed the rock wall. It was a fun day with him as there were just a few of us.
Sunday morning he let me take a few pictures of him in his new suit with his new scriptures. He is a tough one to get a serious picture out of and refused to show his teeth, but we managed to get a few.

We came home after church and had lunch before heading back to church for the baptism. More pictures...poor Jackson! :)

His baptism was really nice. John got to baptize and confirm him. G&G Ross gave the talks and Grandma Kristine and Uncle Kip gave prayers. We even had a musical number from Elise and Drake (which I LOVED). I was happy to see all of our family and our ward family that came to support him. I took a picture of the family that was there, but did not get a picture of teachers, leaders, and friends that came to be there too. We are lucky to have some family live close by, you have to look close to see G-ma Kristine and Aunt Jan way in the back of the pic.

Jackson said he felt very happy and very good about being baptized.

Jackson is a unique young man. I was so pleased that he had a good day. He was very content all weekend. I think that was a real blessing. I am proud of what a good boy Jackson is. He knows about the Gospel and says his prayers every night, and usually reads his scriptures too. He is a good example to me. I love Jackson and I love that he marches to his own drum. I was a very happy and proud mom today!

After his baptism we went home and did the traditional birthday stuff like cake, presents, pinatas, and spanking machines. He was very excited to get his first pocket knife, as is our tradition on 8th birthdays. He also really like the CTR plaque that Papa Ross made for him.

Overall it couldn't have been a better day! I am so grateful I get to be Jackson's mom. He is a very special young man!! I love you Jackson!

My Nephews Rock!

2011-07-15T23:00:00.002-06:00

In preparation for Nicole's upcoming move to Texas, we needed to deliver a trailer to her home in Page, Az. Luckily, I have 2 awesome nephews that were up for the task. They hooked up to the trailer yesterday evening and cruised across the desert to my desert home town.

This morning they got up and headed for home, but before they returned, they decided to swim in the lake and stop at RD's. And just in case there is any doubt about just how fantastic these boys are, look at what they brought us on their return to our home:

That's right! Ty and Hank bought a cooler, filled it with dry ice, and transported Oreo Shakes from RD's back to us!!! I love those boys!

Making Memories-Day 3 & 4

2011-07-10T16:45:00.001-06:00

Ross Reunion-July 11-Making Mountain Memories

This morning was the great and dreadful picture taking. Always a tradition at the Ross Reunion, our group shot is something we plan and dress for. I had given each family shirts in their color, hearkening back to our very 1st official Ross Reunion where Kim had given each family a color. I know the M&M thing is a little cheesy, but everyone wore the shirts in good spirits and I think the pictures turned out pretty dang cute!
Of course we had to do a mixed bag shot, then one of each family. Notice some families are making the face on their shirt.

Once that chore was complete, we were off to Durango Mountain Resort for some Alpine Sliding and general mountain enjoyment. The monsoon season has come early this year and a few of us got rained out while waiting to slide. Luckily, the rain cleared and everyone got a chance to slide. Those who wanted to were also able to ride in the Pintzgaur up into the mountains.

Everyone was pretty mellow after 3 days of Memory Making, so we had a BBQ at home for dinner. I was super bummed because John and I had to leave and go to a Republican Fundraising Dinner that had been planned months before. They did the final M&M drawing and everyone won something over the course of the reunion.

Sunday was the final day before everyone packed it in and headed home. I was THRILLED to have my whole family with me at church. We seriously messed up the whole order of things by taking up almost the entire right side of the chapel. By 'order of things' I mean that we displaced many people out of 'their' row. ;) It was like a domino effect and our ward was all shaken up! heehee

I am so grateful for my family. I know that we are all different and sometimes we don't all get along perfectly, but that is the way of all families. You decide that keeping your family ties is more important than your own irritation or hurt feelings. We had another good year of Memories Made and I am looking forward to next year (Seattle, maybe?)!!!

Making Memories-Day 2

2011-07-08T22:58:00.000-06:00

Ross Reunion-Friday, July 8-Making Soggy Memories

Today had originally been slated as our day to float the river on tubes, but the water level has been too high....so, we shifted gears and today was our lake day. We loaded up and headed out to Navajo Lake. Fortunately part of our group went out early and set us up a sweet spot on the beach as a home base. We had our boat as well as Kip's boat (thank you Kip!) to take out wakeboarders, surfers, and tubers.

Although the photographic evidence is minimal, the Hannays were actually at the lake! :) They were on the other boat with some other big kids so we saw only glimmers of them. Kim has some pictures I hope to add (hint).

The weather held nicely for us most of the day. We headed home and showered up before having our M&M drawing for the night. We had many happy winners and good sports.

After the drawing we moved into our talent portion of the night. Our music room is quite small, so we improvised on seating. Tonight anyone could share one song with us. We heard from singers, piano players, and stringed instruments including cello, ukulele, and guitar. It was delightful!

I think we all enjoyed hearing musical talents from one another. Everyone went to bed to sleep of their sunburns! It was another memorable day at the Ross Reunion.

Making Memories-Day 1

2011-07-07T22:45:00.000-06:00

Ross Reunion-Thurday, July 7th-Mesa Verde Memories

The Reunion got going when on Thursday morning we all drove to Mesa Verde National Park. It is a park with many Anasazi ruins that you can walk through. We signed up for 2 tours. Balcony House was our first stop.

There is a huge ladder you must climb right at the beginning of the tour and several of our members really had to conquer their fears to make it up! We were glad when we all got safely to the top!

There were also numerous cracks and small openings to navigate through. Luckily, we all managed to squeeze through.

We enjoyed learning about the ruins and enjoyed finding shady spots to visit.

Of course I tried to get a group shot, Brad's family was not in it, as Brad was trying to keep up with Ezra! ;)

One last tight spot, then another steep climb before we made it out!

Then it was off for a picnic lunch before heading to our tour at the Cliff Palace. It was a very impressive structure, but the trail arriving there was much more tame.

I must have been pretty warm and tired by then because I took far more pictures of our first tour! :) There was a cool climb up a crevasse on the way out.

We all headed for home! We were glad to see that the Martins had just arrived at our house (minus Theo who is at school in Texas). I was especially glad because that meant I had a helper for making Navajo Tacos! It just seemed like the right meal after going to Mesa Verde!

Tonight we did our first M&M drawing. I had asked everyone to look for good things that people did to help others. They could then write that person's name down to be placed in a drawing. We want to make fun and positive memories each reunion and I thought this might be a good way to encourage that. You couldn't write down your own name and you could only write down 2 per day. We gave out several prizes each night, and this first night a member from each family managed to be drawn. Papa Ross did the drawing and reading. Everyone liked hearing their name called! :)

Weston (Deb) was missing from our reunion this year. He decided not to come this year, but we got him some M&M pajamas so he would know we were thinking of him. Lauren and Devin had yet to arrive, but even with some people missing, it was a full house. Everyone got to bed so more Memories could be made on the morrow!

Ross Reunion 2011

2011-07-07T22:16:00.001-06:00

Making Memories!

That was the theme this year for the Ross Reunion 2011. It was held here in Durango and to go with the whole Making Memories theme, we incorporated M&M's into most everything we did. Somewhat obnoxious, but I loved it! :) When each family arrived on Wednesday night, they received a variety of things that was 'their' family's color. Everyone got shirts, cups, a bag, and a jar of M&M's. I decorated the basement walls with past 'memories' from reunions gone by. I really enjoyed sorting through all of the old picture and printing out ones to put on the wall. I also printed out the group picture from each year. We had 8 group shots! It was fun to see how we have all grown through the years.
Sidenote: An average bag of M&M's is heavy on Blues and light on Browns. Elise and I sorted many large bags to create the single colored jars.

Arrivals to the reunion were somewhat staggered with the Hannays opting to come a day early (so we could go to the lake before the Reunion was in full swing), and the Martins arriving a day late (Bo was in All-Stars for baseball). So it was all of the Rosses that arrived on Wednesday night-George and Eva (aka Grandpa and Grandma), Skip and Laurene's family, and Brad and Keryn's family.

I have decided to break it down by day....or this would be a ridiculously long post!

Gabe's First Catch

2011-06-27T22:23:00.002-06:00

Tonight we had the pleasure of going to the Francom's house for FHE. They have a fabulous fire pit in their backyard which is populated by tall pines. Just behind their property is the Florida River which is populated with rainbow trout. After the lesson and food, the boys all headed down to the river to see if they could catch anything.

To give you an idea of how often we fish, Gabe caught his first fish tonight! Lori took it up to the house and taught Gabe how to clean a fish! Then she added some lemon pepper, tin foil, and just like that, we were cooking it on the coals of the fire. After a few minutes, we opened it up and it was perfectly cooked. Everyone got to have a piece and it was pretty dang good! :) Talk about fresh fish!

I took a tiny picture of it with my phone:

My Calling in YW

2011-06-23T10:55:00.002-06:00

In my church, I currently work with the demographic known as the Young Women in our congregation. The church website defines the program this way:

Young Women
The Young Women organization assists parents and priesthood leaders in preparing each young woman to be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple. The organization promotes the growth and development of each young woman through Sunday instruction, weekday activities (such as Mutual and camp), and the Personal Progress program.

I think of it as my chance to be with and hopefully lead, some terrific girls (ages 12-18) to become the Women they were created to be. I have served in many capacities in our church, but if I had to pick, working with the YW is my favorite calling.

So here are a few of the things we have been up to lately!

We had a Navajo Taco Dinner to raise money for Girl's Camp. It was a huge success. Not only did the girls work hard and raise all the money they needed, but I got to EAT a Navajo Taco!

That weekend, we went over to Monticello, Utah with some of the youth so that they could do baptisms. Just a few could go as summer is starting to get busy for everyone

With all that money we raised from Navajo Tacos, it was off to Girl's Camp the very next week! The girl's went up Tues-Fri, but I didn't go until Wednesday. It was FANTASTIC! The girl's camped by year and our ward was over the 4th years. What a fun group of girls!! I loved it! It think all of our YW had a good time and this is the first time I can remember when everyone has gone! YEAH!

We got to camp again at Decker Park which is a plot of land up by Vallecito Reservoir that is owned by the church. We hadn't camped there for 6 years because a forest fire made it unsafe. My husband helped a lot in the clean up (getting rid of dead or dangerous trees) and also did a bunch of work on some upgrades and improvements. He installed the sewer system and the water system. It used to be strictly primitive camping (porta poties, cooking on stoves or fires, tents) but there is now a kitchen by the pavillion and running water for showers and toilets! Skits, crafts, hikes, good friends, churchy stuff... It was a great camp with some really fabulous girls!

Last night we had a combined activity with the Young Men in the ward. We take turns between age groups planning what we will do. Tonight the Deacons (age 12-13) were in charge. Because on of the Deacons lives in my house (Seth) he thought it might be fun to have a swim party at the pond. Ah, the pond. How I love it on warm summer nights...but I digress.

The pond party was a lot of fun. Not only did we have the Youth there, but our Young Men have recently been assigned new leaders and they all brought their families. I think everyone had a good time. About 4 in the afternoon, I went out to the shop and found my husband welding on our old trampolline. He was attaching barrels to create a Hillbilly Water Trampoline. He didn't have time to reinforce it how he wanted, but it served us well as a fun island, bent though it was.

Next week we will be combined with the other ward from Durango and I am not involved in the planning, so who knows what we will do! All of our activities aren't always photo worthy, but we try to make sure that they are meaningful and worth going to. It is a chunk of time, so I feel blessed to serve with good women and GREAT YOUTH!!!

Thomas the Train

2011-06-18T21:58:00.004-06:00

Thomas the Train, beloved by many children anywhere there are tracks, came to Durango for his annual visit. I learned a few things.

1) 11 year old girls are so over Thomas the Train
2) My kids enjoy engineer hats
3) I enjoy engineer hats on my kids when we have given them mohawk haircuts
4) John is a good sport and pretends to enjoy not only trains, but the accompanying petting zoo.

Farewell Mrs. Willey

2011-06-09T12:27:00.003-06:00

Throughout their elementary school career, all of our children have had the same music teacher. Her name is Mrs. Willey. She is fantastic! She taught my 3 oldest to play stringed instruments and all of them how to sing and appreciate music. She will be retiring from school this summer and she had a lunch with a few of the girls she has taught violin to. Elise got to meet at Digs resturant and thank Mrs Willey for all of her dedicated service. Teachers are wonderful!

I Heart Peonies

2011-06-09T12:12:00.008-06:00

There is a shrub that grows in my front garden. It is a perennial (which means it dies each winter only to regrow in the spring). In the early part of the spring, little red shoots appear often peeking through late snow. As a lover of warm weather, I see them as flags rising to signal the end of the long sleep, and a sign that jubilant colors and life are ready to take over the more muted winter landscape.

The shrub grows then diligently works on producing these buds which seem ready to break open, no longer able to contain their flowery contents. But those peonies are never in a hurry. They have endured a long winter rest, and they wait to burst open their blossoms. They lean toward the sun drink in the warmth each day. The blooms swell as layer after layer of anticipation is added until finally, finally, the blooms can no longer be contained and they explode into a seemingly impossibly big burst of summer laughter.

And from this....

Emerges this...

That peony bush then proceeds to blossom with everything it has, putting on a fantastic show! The blossoms always come just before the official start of Summer and I love that they boldly declare that the outdoor fun may now begin...and you don't need to dress in layers anymore! :)

After their triumphant proclamation, the peony shrub quietly enjoys a green summer as it soaks up the rays that will enable it to proclaim the same wonderful welcome when winter will be put to bed once again next year.

So, I heart peonies and the beginning of SUMMER!!

Jebb is 6

2011-06-08T22:43:00.001-06:00

Six years ago today we welcomed our last member of the BigG Tribe into the world. Jebb Ross Gilleland is having a birthday today! Jebb is a ray of sunshine in our home and always seems to have a big smile and a kind word. We are so glad he is part of our family!

We were going in lots of different directions today, so Jebb will celebrate a little today, but we will have cake and presents on Friday. John and I took Jebb out to breakfast at Burger King (his choice) and I snapped a shot of us in the playland.

Then, this afternoon Grandma Kristine took Jebb, Jackson, and Elise to swim at the Rec Center. I sent the waterproof camera with Elise and it looks like Jebb had some good fun. Gabe and Seth would have joined them, but they are at a basketball camp at the college this week.

Tonight Jebb got to have a birthday dinner with our whole ward, as it was the YW Navajo Taco Dinner to raise money for Girl's Camp. He said he had a great night! :)

Sometimes our lives have lots of good things. I am grateful for Jebb because he is one of the BEST things we get to celebrate!

Late Night Shenanigans

2011-06-02T23:43:00.003-06:00

When I was a youth I often heard that mischief happens late at night. I kinda agree with that sentiment. In my life I have done one or two crazy things and I think a lot of it happened after the sun went down. I don't know why it is, maybe we get kooky when we are tired...?

Well, I guess it is a family trait because here I am at my sister's house and it is getting late.

What to do?

You guessed it--we decided to wax Eric's back! That's right, wax his BACK!

I am kind of a pro and shared my awesome technique with my younger kin folk. Kim took pics--

As you can tell, his back isn't really all that hairy, but we had some good laughs none the less. When I told Eric that I kind of felt like we bonded, he just chuckled in his typical quiet, late night manner.

I better get to bed before someone loses an eyebrow or something.

Hogle Zoo 2011

2011-06-01T21:01:00.008-06:00

Today we decided to hit the Hogle Zoo. We went last year for the first time and found it to be a pleasant way to spend half the day. We had Grandma, Kim, and Nate come along with Jackson, Jebb, Elise, and I. The weather was perfect, cool and a bit breezy. We have really lucked out weather-wise. Although I typically love a blazing hot day, I have to admit that it is nice to have those cooler, overcast ones on days when you are zooing or roofing.

Our gang with a T-rex

Jackson composed this pic and insisted I take it!

Tigers

More wild animals

Checking out the giraffes

Each giraffe had unique coloring and patterns

Jebb measures his hand

Nate and Jackson measure their gorillaness

This gorilla was snoozing just on the other side of the glass

Taken by me, composed again by Jackson

At the bird show

Same show... Kim's perspective ;)

We headed home and chilled out a little bit before dinner. Jackson had a wild animal of his own that he caught when he was fishing with Eric. He originally wanted us to grill it and eat it, but when we told him he'd have to eat it himself, he decided to go ahead and release it.

Then tonight, Kim and Steve cooked us up some fantastic steak fajitas (thank goodness Jackson agreed to go with the steak!). The weather was almost too chilly to be outside, but we went for it because of all the festive decor in the pergola! We had tons of yummo guacamole and salsa. I love this time of year with all of the fresh food you can make (not fresh like a crawdad, but fresh like an avocado...)!

Fishing

2011-05-31T16:41:00.001-06:00

Eric took Jebb, Jackson, and Elise fishing this afternoon! They loved it!

Gabe Goes to EFY

2011-05-30T15:01:00.002-06:00

I dropped Gabe off this afternoon for EFY in Provo. He was pretty nervous and not very excited. I am hoping when I pick him up at the end of the week that he will have had a good experience. We did get to meet his roommate and he seemed like a cool kid. I was half tempted to get a picture of the two of them, but I was already pushing it to get Gabe to let me snap a shot with my phone! ;)

Devin and Jebb-A Birthday Celebration

2011-05-29T21:27:00.003-06:00

For the last two years, we have been in Utah during Jebb's Birthday which is June 8th. When we told him we were going this week, he naturally assumed that we would be having a birthday party for him. He gave me several suggestions like waterguns, zoo outings, and various outdoor games. He even went and got our special 'red plate' out so we could pack it and bring it along. He was fairly disappointed when I told him that his birthday wasn't until the week AFTER we were in Utah. When I told Kim about it, she suggested we have a party for Jebb in combination with Devin's birthday. (Devin is Lauren's husband.) He really liked that idea and was very excited to get to have a 'Celebration' with his buddy Devin.

As usual, the Hannays put on a great dinner and it was a lovely Birthday Celebration! We BBQed, had cake and ice cream, and finished the night with a game of Farkle (Lauren smoked us!).

Our Ross Roofing Retreat

2011-05-28T22:08:00.010-06:00

Lots of people like to go to exotic or far flung locations for Memorial Day Weekend. Of course, that is SOOO us, so we packed up and headed to beautiful Spanish Fork, Utah!! :)

We went to the home of my younger brother to help his replace the roof on his 1944 brick home. We turned it into an extended family work project. We knew it would be a big job, so we were excited to get to be with a fun crowd to get it done!

Thursday was our last day of school, so we were still mentally shifting gears as we drove out of Durango Friday morning. We arrived on Friday afternoon, hopped out of the car, stretched a little, then jumped into the project. My parents, Kim and Steve, and Brad were already hard at work.

Removing the roof was like traveling back in time, layer by layer. We removed two layers of asphalt shingles, then got down to the original cedar shakes that were under them. They were the original roof put on when the house was built. On one hand it was interesting to see the actual roof and how it was put on, but on the other hand, it had 60+ years of dust! And man on man, those wood shakes were in no mood to be removed that day. ;)

Removing the asphalt shingles, revealing the shakes underneath

The shrubs out front bear the brunt of the mess

Gabe is master of the fancy shake-removing tool. Thank goodness he was there or we would still be pulling up the shakes one nail at a time!

It was dusty, dirty work

Grandma Ross empties the wheelbarrow

We remove the shingles and debris from the bushes

Me-safely on the ground

Elise and Papa move stuff to the back of the dumpster

We got everything stripped down and ready for Saturday morning when we would be putting the new roof on. It was a good thing we got a head start because it took us all day to get the new roof on. We had to put on new sheeting, new fascia, new flashing, and of course the paper and shingles.

Talk about a handy location, Brad walks some lumber over to his house from the store across the street

Elise helped with the kid wrangling. Look how cute her and Heber are!

Nate, Gabe, and Seth discuss the finer points of roofing

Old fascia comes down

New fascia goes up. We learned that Kim missed her calling as a trim carpenter-she is truly gifted!

Flashing goes up-Pacman is the secret

Ice shield goes up

Gabe is a one man wrecking/roofing crew

Steve puts up the first of the SHINGLES! We are getting close!

Jebb scooters around. The kids had a ball going acrossed the street to the city park.

A swath of shingles is a beautiful sight!

Me and the folks take a break and enjoy the yummy food Keryn provided.

And we're DONE!!!

Well, almost....

There was a recurring theme as we completed each phase of the roof construction....we were just a little bit short on each thing. We had the perfect amount of roofing supplies to finish everything but the gable. :) Sadly, there were no roofing supplies to be had on a holiday weekend. All things considered, and assuming it will be finished sometime soon, I think it looks FABULOUS!

It was a long, hard project and I am so glad that we did it! It is nice to hang out with your family, but it is even better to work with them. Everyone was sore, tired, and dirty. And it was a great way to spend an exotic, far flung Memorial Day weekend!

Gabe's "Life Presentation"

2011-05-24T12:50:00.001-06:00

Gabe has come to the end of his 8th grade year. He will no longer be in middle school, but will advance to High School where you are no longer a little kid and things like grades actually matter.

But before he can move on, Gabe's Middle School requires him to give a 'Life Presentation" of who he is up to this point. He gets to invite family members to attend his presentation that he gives to 2 of his teachers. So today was Gabe's presentation and I am going to paste his talk here. He also showed a slide show that I hope to figure out how to put on here as well someday! ;)

Life

by Gabe Gilleland

I’m going to use my dirt bike as a metaphor for my life.

The frame- of my dirt bike is who I was when I was born. I was fabricated in Durango and have lived here my whole life. Everything is built on my life here. I am the oldest of five kids. I have 3 brothers and one sister. There names are… my mom and dad have been married for 16 years and I have been apart of there live for 14 of those years.

The wheels- I have a large extended family. All of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are like the spokes on my wheels and they keep me grounded when I need them to. Each summer of my life we have a huge family reunion. We learned about our ancestors at our last reunion. I learned that I am related not only to pilgrims, but to the wamponags that welcomed them. I also have some royal European blood in me from 1000 years ago.

The engine- on my dirt bike is all the things that keep me going all the time. I am involved in lots of fun activities. In school I play football, which I was starting receiver and starting defensive end. I played basketball in 7th and 8th grade and made A-team both years. If you didn’t guess I was the big guy who played under the basket. I also ran track where I set the distance medley record with my team and won high jump every meet. All of these sports helped me develop my physical power and endurance. Even though I wasn’t always the best I learned to push my limits and become stronger. I also love to snow ski and snowmobile in the winter and every Saturday in the summer you will find me boating with my family. At the lake I love wake board, surf, and hang out behind the boat. We try to go to lake Powell a lot in the summer because that’s where my mom is from. These are all the things that keep me energized and going.

The handlebars are my religion. They keep me going in the right direction. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, sometimes called the Mormons. I have a strong belief in God and in His Son Jesus Christ. I believe that God is my Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ atoned for all mankind’s sins. When I was 8 years old, I chose to be baptized and become a member of the church like my parents and grandparents before me. Every night I study the scriptures and I pray every morning and night. I am very involved in my church. Every Sunday I go to church for 3 hours. We sing and we have different lessons during that time. Then during the week I go back to church for various youth activities. I get to help plan what we do. Sometimes it is fun and sometimes we work on Scouting or Service Projects. At age 12 I got the Priesthood, which means I have responsibilities in my church to teach and help the members of my congregation. All these things help me stay on the right track.

The brake and throttle on my bike are like the rules and privileges I have in my family. Our family has a lot of rules. I am expected to keep my room clean and help with chores in the house and outside the house. I have to watch my little brothers and respect my parents. I have to let my parents know what I’m doing and who I’m hanging out with. My parents are strict. But they trust me as long as I earn their trust. I also get to do lots of crazy things that not all parents would let their kids do, like hold a job at our gravel pit. I clean the shop and operate equipment. I get to earn money for things like movies and stuff I want. I get to have a lot of fun doing different recreational activities. So I do have rules (brakes) but because my parents trust me, I get to go and do lots of fun things too (throttle).

Service is like the oil in my dirt bike because it gives me lots of opportunities for me to help the people in my community. Without oil, my dirt bike will run for a while, but not very well. After a while it’s no good, and stops working. I believe that when I serve others, it makes my life run smoother because I forget about myself and start thinking about other people. During 6th grade, my family went to a small island off Venezuela called Tobago. My grandparents were serving as missionaries for our church. Before we went, we gathered supplies for a School for the Deaf and lots of clothes for a Home for Abandoned Children. We had fun on our trip. We went to the beach and got to scuba dive in the ocean for the first time. But the best part was meeting the kids and seeing how happy they were to get stuff they needed. It made me feel grateful for my blessings and made me happy to help others that needed my help. Another way I have been able to serve is through our church youth group where I participate in the Boy Scouts of America. I have been a Boy Scout since 3rd grade and I am close to earning my Eagle Scout Award.

The last thing I need for my dirt bike to run is Gas. I am comparing gas to school and my friends. I went to preschool, elementary school, and middle school here in Durango. I have been able to participate in sports and music where I learned to play the cello and I learned lots of things. My friends have been there with me every day. Some I have known since preschool and some since 6th grade. All of my good friends have been there for me even when the times were rough, so I tried to be there for them too.

Because I have all the necessary parts, I have been able to do a lot of things so far in my life. I hope to keep my dirtbike running well for a long time. I hope that for the rest of my life I will be able to keep improving and upgrading my bike so it will run at it’s maximum potential. That way I will always have what I need to go and do whatever I choose in my life. The world is wide open to me and I am excited to go and ride it!

I know I am his mom, but I thought it was SO GREAT!!! He came up with the dirtbike metaphor himself and John and I loved talking through it with him as he fleshed out his ideas.

I am proud of the young man that Gabe is becoming. He is a kind person and a good friend. I am so grateful to be his mom!

A Stringed Dream Come True

2011-05-17T22:29:00.004-06:00

Tonight was a little dream come true...at least for me! :)

We attended our last orchestra concert of the year. They already bid farewell to the 8th graders last week, so this concert was one where the Elementary Schools were invited to play along with the Middle School. This meant I got to attend a concert where Gabe, Seth, and Elise all played TOGETHER!!!

I loved it!!!!

I am very sad that my camera battery died (oops!) but my friend did take a pic with her cell phone (Thank You!!) and here is a photographic remembrance of my most favorite concert EVER! I am also sad because I know this will not likely happen again. Gabe will be in HS next year and has NO desire to continue with the cello. Seth is being forced to stick it out until the end of next year when he will surely quit. Elise will be playing the violin for at least 3 more years (thru Middle School), and by then maybe Jackson or Jebb will get wrangled into playing a stringed instrument. ;)

So for tonight, I will just savor the joy I get from seeing 3 of my children make beautiful (albeit somewhat squeeky) music together!

Elise's Spring Recital

2011-05-15T22:10:00.000-06:00

This weekend was Elise's Spring Recital for Dance. She has taken 2 classes this year and got to perform a Jazz piece and a Lyrical piece. She performed on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. This last Wednesday she told her teacher that she didn't know if she would be able to attend the Sunday performance and I guess she got in quite a bit of trouble. We knew in the beginning about the Sunday performance and decided to go ahead and sign her up, but she didn't know that. When she told us, I thanked her for being mindful of the Sabbath and let her know we had talked to the studio owner at the beginning of the year about it and agreed to commit Elise to perform both days. She was relieved.

Afton, Elise, and Karver in their Jazz outfits

She did FANTASTIC at her performance. You are not allowed to take pictures, but we did order the DVD of the whole show. I loved watching her! We took Grandma Kristine, Jackson, and Jebb with us to the performance. We knew from past experience that it is an extremely long show. Intermission was after the first 2 hours of dancing and John took them home since Elise had already performed her numbers. Gabe and Seth did not attend that first half because they were riding home on a bus from Denver with their orchestra (they won first place in their competition by the way! :)). But when John dropped off Grandma, Jackson, and Jebb, they had made it home, so John and Gabe returned to catch most of the 2nd half of the show.

I am proud of Elise for taking Dance and doing so well. She is planning on really ramping up the dancing next year and I look forward to seeing her perform again!!

Orchestra Concert...Farewell 8th Graders

2011-05-11T22:02:00.001-06:00

As another school year draws to a close, we have enjoyed lots of end-of-year stuff. Tonight was one such orchestra concert. Normally the kids dress in white shirts and black pants/skirts to perform, but 8th graders are allowed a little color in their attire. Each 8th grader also gets the opportunity to perform a solo at the concert. I heard Gabe practice his several times and wondered how he would do in front of a crowd. He was understandably nervous, but did pretty well. :)

Gabe Performs His Solo

8th Graders-Soon to Move On

Gabe and Seth (I don't know what is up with the collars... ;)

John, Me, and the Boys

Peru or Bust

2011-05-07T20:59:00.007-06:00

I learned today that my daughter is quite resourceful and likes to travel.

Earlier in the week, she was given a brochure for a trip that middle school students can participate in during the summer of '12. She showed me the brochure and I think I said something like 'Hmm, that sounds fun.' Then pretty much blew it off. I noticed the brochure on my desk yesterday and when I gave it a good look, I had to agree that it looked really cool-Machu Picchu is on my bucket list.

This afternoon Elise started collecting some stuff. A table. A cooler. Gallon pitchers.

"Elise, what are you doing?"

"I am going to set up a lemonade stand to raise some money to go to Peru."

"Uh, I don't know if that's a good idea. we live on a private road off of a county road."

"Can I call Dad?"

That is the standard question I get when I am leaning towards "No" but there sounds like there might be a small opening for a possible "Yes" from Dad.

He was all for it, and even arrived home to give them a ride to the end of our road. It was getting late in the afternoon so we agreed she could give it an hour peddling her wares. Jackson and Jebb were enlisted to help and they were off to raise some funds. They took 2 jugs of Kool-Aid, granola bars, an assortment of baggies full of goodies (think Vanilla Wafers), sodas, and bottles water. We gave her the cell phone and told us to call if they got tired of waiting for customers. I thought because of our location, they wouldn't see a lot of action.

Well, the hour passed quickly and John called to tell them he was coming for them. I could hear the tone of Elise's voice, but not the words and she sounded quite enthusiastic. John grinned and chuckled as he told me that during the hour they had raised $40!!!! Not a bad hourly average!!!

Elise only charged $0.05 a glass for Kool-Aid, but when she showed her brochure to her customers, many of them donated extra dollars. She must be quite the saleswoman! :) Maybe I should start saving my dollars so I can go to Peru with her!

Kindergarten Tea Party

2011-05-06T14:22:00.004-06:00

Today I got to go to Jebb's classroom for a Mother's Day Tea Party. Jebb has been SOOOO excited for this. They have learned 'Mother' songs and made crafts in preparation. This morning he was chanting, 'Tea Party, tea party, you're coming to my tea party.' It made me happy to see him looking forward to it.

So after I left the Doctor's office (see previous post) I drove carefully out to Jebb's school. When you hold your head still I think it makes you look funny, or at least it makes you FEEL like you look funny. No, I am pretty sure you DO look funny. I walked into Jebb's classroom and he made a running-jump-hug for me. While trying to hold my head still, I caught him and hugged him before he escorted me to my chair.

The usual school tables were adorned with tablecloths and each chair had a tea cup and saucer. There was a plate of cookies and strawberries on each table, along with a big jug of iced tea.

To start the Tea Party off, the children all sang their Mother songs which were super cute. Jebb is actually a pretty good little singer! :)

Jebb sings to me

Then the kids each brought us a small flower pot they had painted. They were filled with dirt and a seed packet. Adorable. Jebb then brought me a book he had made about me. He was grinning from ear to ear and hugged me repeatedly as he read it to me. This was such a cute little Tea Party. I was enjoying it with my upright and still self. ;)

Then it came time to sit and have our Tea and Cookies. The teacher walked to each table, lifted the jug of tea, and filled everyone's tea cup. She got to me and I said, 'No thanks, we don't drink tea.' I tried to state it all easy-breazy like I wasn't the only one in the room that didn't. I said, 'We would love some water!' with my best casual, yet pleasant voice coming from my smiling face.

Jebb looked at me and burst into tears!

I tried to play it cool and just smile and rub his back as I asked him what was the matter.

The other kids and moms at the table looked over at Jebb.

"But I really want TEA!"

I tried to whisper into Jebb's ear that we don't drink tea, but we could have some water.

"But Mom, it's a Tea Party!" he sobbed.

I glanced around at the other people in the room. They were now all staring at us.

"Jebb, what's the matter?" a couple of kids at the table were asking.

I tried to smile and say something lame like, "He's OK...." as I patted his back.

He put his head down and quietly cried for a minute while I squirmed in my chair. I couldn't really bend down to comfort him or whisper to him now (upright and still, remember?).

I almost wanted to grab the jug and just fill up his blasted tea cup.

"Hey Jebb, will you get me a strawberry and a cookie?" I asked him.

He sat up, looked into my eyes, and said, "Sure." He hopped up, got me a cookie from the middle of the table, and wiped his tears. Hallelujah! He sat down with me and by this time the teacher had grabbed my cup and filled it with water. I poured some of mine into Jebb's tea cup and held my own up so we could click them together and say "Cheers!" (Better to pretend it was champagne instead of tea, right? ;))

Luckily, the tears left as fast as they came, and I think only 2 or 3 moms think I am super weird now! I loved the party and being with Jebb. I am lucky to be a Mother to such good kids! Happy Mother's Day!

Vertigo

2011-05-06T13:41:00.002-06:00

Last Monday I woke up in the morning and when I sat up to get out of bed, I had the sensation that I had just gotten off a fast merry-go-round. The room spun, my bed tilted, and I fell over sideways. I laid there very still, reeling for a minute and luckily, it stopped, and I was able to (very slowly) get up. I didn't drive for a couple of days because it didn't seem very safe to operate a vehicle when I might lose my balance. But after 4 or 5 days, I learned that if I held my head still, I could drive without feeling like I was tilting off the road.

I assumed I had an inner ear infection of some sort that was throwing off my balance. The vertigo feeling made me quite nauseated, but unless I changed elevation (like getting low to pick up Jebb) or tilted my head sideways (like bending over to sweep under the table) then I was pretty good. This went on for about 10 days and I thought I was improving, but then the last few nights I would roll over in bed and have that crazy vertigo feeling and I knew I wasn't any better.

Why didn't I go to the doctor? Well, I have this insane aversion to antibiotics. I avoid them whenever possible as I always seem to get freaky, highly unlikely side effects. I have a fear of MRSA (you know that flesh eating bacteria?), OK? But after waking up spinning, i broke down today and went to the doctor to see if I could get some drugs to cure this annoying condition. I am a kook, I know, but for me sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, so to speak.

The doctor kind of chuckled and said she knew I must be feeling pretty uncomfortable to have come in seeking antibiotics She remembers the last time I was in and my aversion. She questioned me about my condition, took my temperature, looked in my ears and told me that she thought she knew what it was. She told me the name, but now I can't remember it, but it is NOT an ear infection and antibiotics won't solve it. She told me I may have vertigo for months or it might go away tomorrow!! She said that I have a teeny tiny calcium deposit that has broken free in my inner ear. When I move, it touches the little hairs in there that make you feel movement and in what direction. So it's like this little marble rattling around in my head with no way to get out.

As she was explaining it to me, I just kinda sat there thinking, "Seriously? Who has that happen to them?" Apparently some folks do-in fact she said she had experienced it herself and she was very sympathetic. Somehow that didn't make me feel any better. She offered to have me do this thing where you lay down, then sit up, then, lay the other way and move your head around in order to try to rattle that little calcium thing around to somewhere that it could stick and not move any more.

Of course I followed her directions and I laid down, twisted, sat up, turned my head, blah blah blah. It was pretty brutal as it activated that vertigo feeling, but when I was done, I did feel a little better. She smiled then told me to keep my head upright and still for the next 24 hours.

Wait, what?

Upright and still for 24 hours so the calcium thingy, if it did stick, could stay stuck wherever it was sticking.

What about when I slept?

Upright and still. Tape your forehead to the headboard, she said, half jokingly. Or prop your head up with pillows in a recliner. Seriously.

So it has only been a few hours since I went to the doctor and my head is upright and still, but I am pretty sure I shook that thing loose. You have to bend down to get clothes from the washer to the dryer, and it's hard to keep your head still when you get your 5 year old out of a tall jeep. Hopefully though, that teeny tiny calcium deposit is still stuck in some little corner of my noggin and will quit making me feel like I am falling over because holding your head still is getting old pretty fast! ;) I am wondering if this means I really do have a screw loose...

School Program for Jackson and Jebb

2011-05-03T22:28:00.008-06:00

Tonight was a school program that Jackson and Jebb got to participate in. The note sent home asked us to dress our kids in 'the best clothes in the closet.' When I told Jackson he ought to wear his Sunday Best, he was very upset. He said he didn't want to be humiliated by wearing those clothes. i think that is so weird. After he saw his friend Sam in a suit (he rode to the program with us) he finally relented and put on his suit coat and tie. I thought he looked smashing! Jebb too!

Jackson 2nd Grade

Jebb Kindergarten

Jacks hams it up

My handsome little men

We arrived at the school and the boys were ready to perform! You can see Jackson on the top row on the left, and Jebb is on the3rd row on the right. The program was about family and I LOVED it! I actually have seen this program before and Elise said she performed it back when she was a little tyke at Florida Mesa.

Jackson had a speaking part where he talked about his family tree. There he is holding a tree. :)

Jebb kept waving to us, of course I loved it!

As the kids were singing a song about how we should enjoy these kids because they grow up fast, I seriously cried a little bit. I felt totally sentimental! I just love this age and so enjoy these little innocent guys. I was savoring every second of every song and was really sad to see it end.

John, Elise, and Grandma Kristine were also at the program and we took some pictures when it was over. We all loved it!

Nice job Jackson and Jebb! I will try to enjoy this time because I know that it does fly by so fast.

Weekend Wedding

2011-05-02T15:06:00.004-06:00

This weekend, John and I got to go on a 2 day long date. We had a wedding to attend, and we were really excited to sneak away. The wedding was of our dear family friend, Jenny. She was getting married Friday morning up in Utah and I had been counting it down from the time I got the invite and stuck it on my little magnet board in my room.

As we drove to Utah, John and I reminisced about our own wedding almost 16 years ago. We laughed at how naive we both were, but what really go us laughing was how we both thought we knew it all! ;) Boy, we have learned a lot over the years. The long and familiar drive was really pleasant. We took the Dolores loop to miss Cortez, past the Monticello Temple, Wilson Arch was beautiful outside of Moab (I love those red rocks!). The not so pretty desert part of I-70 went fast then we were headed over Soldier's Summit when we ran into lots of snow on the road (!!) which stayed with us as we dropped down the canyon into Spanish Fork. We drove up the I-15 corridor then went west to Tooele and the Larry Miller Speedway, where we dropped off a truck we had towed up.

We decided to stay downtown so it would be easy to get to the wedding in the morning. We booked a tower room at the Little America hotel. I actually used to work there! I got my first waitressing job at the coffee shop there. I worked breakfast and lunch for a few months when I lived with Kim and Steve between Rick's College and my mission.

Driving with a big truck and trailer is always tricky, but we found a corner of the property to unhook the trailer and park the truck. It was perfect timing for dinner and we called Kim & Steve and my parents to see if they were feeling spontaneous enough to come and meet us at the coffee shop. They were game and although my dad claimed he had already eaten dinner, we all had a great meal. We hung out for a long time and had a great chat. When they finally called it a night and we headed up to our tower room, we looked out the windows to see the Salt Lake Temple.

SLTemple at night (not taken by me ;))

This is the place we had gotten married ourselves. We talked about our early morning wedding (when you have such a short engagement, there are only early slots left on a Saturday in the summer months...), our delicious brunch across the street at the Joseph Smith building, and our super cool room up at Stein Erickson Lodge (they messed up our reservation and we wondered if we would have a room, but it turned out great as they gave us a free room and a complimentary giganto plate of cheese, crackers, and berries to apologize for messing up the reservation! Sweet!)

So ya, we were heavy on the nostalgia. I would say we were up to our necks in it, and I was enjoying splashing and backstroking in it!

In the morning, to our Springtime dismay, we awoke to a white downtown Salt Lake, as it had snowed a couple of inches in the night. But we were undaunted and arrived at the Salt Lake Temple right on time at 9:30a for the 10 o'clock sealing. We wondered aloud to each other how the Bride and Groom might be feeling right now. To attend a Sealing at the SLT, you go down a long hall where take off your street shoes, then proceed to a waiting room. We entered the waiting room in our socks and looked around for Jenny's family.

I was surprised when I didn't see any of them. We were right on time, so we went over to the little lady that announces the names as each wedding party takes their turn to enter the temple and await the happy couple's arrival in the Sealing Room. She looked at her sheet to see if they had already been called.

Nope.

She then checked to see when they would be called.

She asked us again for the name.

Then again.

She couldn't find the name.

Anywhere.

I looked at the sheet. Carefully.

Nothing. Nada. Nope. Not on it.

What in the world!?! Did we get the time wrong? No, we pulled out the little insert that invited us to the sealing. 10:00 sealing, be there at 9:30. Hmm. Did they call off the wedding and no one told us? No, we surely would have heard. The sweet little lady asked us, "Are you sure you're at the right temple?" John and I looked at each other. Gosh. We thought so!

But...

Well....

Maybe we weren't at the right temple. I asked John if he remembered reading 'Salt Lake' on the invitation, because I couldn't remember those exact words....

We walked back down the hall to where our shoes were and John, from the basement of the Salt Lake Temple, pulled out his phone, crouched in a back corner, and called our house. (Sooo scandalous!)

"Elise, I need you to go look at Jenny's wedding invitation in my room and read it to me. Tell me what Temple she is getting married at."

Elise answered "The Oh-quee...Oh-quwah.... "

John finished it for her, "The Oquirrh Mountain Temple?"

"Uh, ya, I guess."

"OK, bye sweetheart."

THE OQUIRRH MOUNTAIN TEMPLE! The wedding was at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple!!! At 10:00!!

We looked at each other and laughed unbelievingly. Then we reverently ran out of the SLTemple as fast as we could before booking it to the truck. The Oquirrh Mountain Temple is in South Jordan...20+ minutes south, then 15+ more minutes west from there.

"Floor it, Babe! It is already 9:40!" We started driving. And I'm not gonna lie, John was speeding. A lot.

We made it to the interstate in a few minutes and as we got on the onramp, John reminded me that our trailer was still in the Little America parking lot. He slowed down to 70mph and asked me if we should go for it. It was really pretty impossible for us to make it in time. if we did get there and go in, would we be disruptive on this most special occasion?

We had to try.

So we drove. Pretty fast. Here is an interesting factoid about John's Ford F350: There is a governor on the motor that will not allow you to drive faster than 98 miles per hour. You learn something new every day!

We made it south down the interstate pretty quick, but we still had to make our way west to the Temple and we weren't exactly sure of the exact route. Eek. Well, luckily, or prayerfully, we drove straight there. I hopped out and John parked.

I walked into the OMT lobby at 10:08. I quietly apologized and explained that I was late for a wedding and was there any way to find out if i was too late. The sweet lady smiled and suggested I just go up and see! :) John hurried in the door and met me at the elevator.

Up to the 3rd floor. Elevators are patience testing when you are in a hurry. Pushing the 'close door' button doesn't really make it get going any faster.

AHHHH! You have to be reverent and unrushed in the temple, but we just wanted to RUN or JUMP or HURRY!!!

Up we went on the elevator. The doors open up to another sweet lady dressed in white holding a paper. I explained our situation and asked if we were too late.

"Why, no, the couple hasn't come into the sealing room yet."

A Tender Mercy!!

We quietly, reverently, and quickly entered into the Sealing Room where we saw all the familiar faces we had missed seeing at the Salt Lake Temple! We sat down, took a deep breath, made eye contact with each other as we both smiled, when, just then, in walked the beautiful bride and her handsome groom.

The Sealing Room at the Oquirrh Mtn Temple

And we were there.

Loving every wonderful minute of it. Enjoying the strong, beautiful spirit there. Crying tears with the rest of the extended family. Watching a brand new family get it's start. It was wonderful!! And we were so glad we made it!

I don't think the weekend could have gone any better. The luncheon was delightful. Even the drive home Saturday night was enjoyable. Although there was a lot of driving and a minor fiasco, we had a great weekend witnessing a terrific (you though I was going to type 'wonderful' because it starts with a W, didn't you?) wedding.

Found in My Room

2011-05-01T23:22:00.003-06:00

These little treatlets were found taped to the footboard of my bed.

One was on John's side:

One was on my side:

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T20:49:00.003-06:00

Happy Easter to everyone!

We snapped some pics before and after church (before with just the kids-John has those early meetings), then after with the whole fam. We weren't super matchy this year, but I am counting John's tie as the piece of fabric that ties us all together! ;)

It was quite rainy today, but we had the Mann Clan over which brought the sunshine. We locked the kids in my bedroom to watch a cartoon while the adults hid over 200 plastic eggs in our house. :) I got a real kick out of seeing the kids hunt. I am just loving our kids and the ages they are right now. Today was one of those days when I just want to freeze time. We ate a ton and enjoyed being together. A perfect Easter afternoon.
I am grateful for the miracle of the Empty Tomb that gives meaning to all of our relationships.

Campout-Hole in the Rock

2011-04-23T20:42:00.008-06:00

John took Gabe and Jackson on a campout this weekend to an area near Blanding. There were lots of ancient cliff dwellings to see, as well as some important Mormon history. They saw the end of the Hole in the Rock trail, where some early Mormon settlers traversed this rugged canyonland. At the end of the trail when they finally made it out, the pioneers carved the words "We thank thee O God." You have to look kinda close to see it above the boys heads in this first pic. Pretty dang cool.

It was cool to see all the cliff dwellings they explored. I am not sure what those early writings on the wall were trying to say, but maybe they thanked God too for the beauty of their surroundings.

This was an Jackson's first campout. Typically, on a scout campout, no one under 11 or 12 goes, but because this was not an 'official' campout, John got to take Jackson along. He was THRILLED! I am so glad they got to go and it sounds like they had a really great time. With some of the stories (a suicidal burning pack rat, stuck trucks, sandy hikes, and scorpions) I think it is wisdom that these men camp without us women now and then.

I am very grateful that our boys got to learn some of the pioneer history of the area. It is amazing what early members of the church accomplished-knowing there had to be a way because they had been sent to do it. I love that!

Eat and Run

2011-04-21T21:53:00.004-06:00

Today I had the pleasure of joining Jackson at school for lunch. Parents of the 2nd grade class were invited to attend, although why we were, I am still a little foggy on. Whatever the reason, I loved going to have lunch with him. He was very excited to see me and Jebb got to join us as well. Sunnyside is a great little school and I like going out there. Lunch was excellent as was the company!

I really liked how kids could volunteer to help clean up the cafeteria. There were 2 kids sweeping up the floors, another helping collect and clean silverware, and Jacks and Jebb got cloths to wipe down tables. I thought it was and outstanding idea to have kids involved that way.

This afternoon I got to enjoy seeing two more of my kiddos. Gabe and Seth were in another track meet. I got pics of Seth running a relay. Seth also ran the 800. When I asked him about his day I was incredibly proud of his attitude about his race. He said, "I did a fantastic job on the 800. I finished better this time than I did last time. I beat (the name of a kid) this time when he beat me last time. I also beat 3 kids that beat me last time from the other school." Now, Seth is not a fast runner of the 800. I was super glad that he didn't get bummed out that he wasn't the fastest, but was happy that he had improved since his last meet. It was a pleasant and refreshing response from him! :)

I enjoy seeing our kids being active and involved in good things!

Track

2011-04-16T13:02:00.001-06:00

Today was a lovely day for a track meet. There was a meet at the middle school with Us, Miller, Bayfield, Cortez, and Pagosa all in attendance. It was fun to see the boys race. Darn it all, I think they got my genetics. I am slow, but springy. ;)

John and Seth

Gabe takes 1st in High Jump

Elise's Orchestra Concert

2011-04-12T22:10:00.003-06:00

Tonight I got to attend a lovely orchestra concert. Elise, our 5th grader, performed with a group made up from all the Elementary Schools in the district. They practice at their individual schools for weeks, then come together for one practice before performing for their families that night. They did really, really well! There are few things I enjoy more than watching one of my kids play in a concert!

Elise loved seeing her dear friend Afton. Since we switched to Sunnyside this year, she hasn't seen her near enough.

She also saw her friend Natalie from church. All three of these girls will be in Middle School together next year, and they are looking forward to being with one another.

Elise seemed overly concerned about her appearance while getting ready for this concert. "Mom, can you help me with my hair?" "Mom, should I wear this skirt?" "Mom, what color flower should I put into my hair?" I don't want to say that Elise is a mess, but I have to admit that in the past I have had times when it is difficult getting her to shower or brush her hair...
So I was kinda surprised at her new attention to her personal grooming. When we got to the concert, I noticed she was sitting next to a boy--hmmm-maybe that had something to do with it?? :)

Well, whatever the reason, she looked beautiful. And as usual, I loved watching her play!

I think there is a good chance she will stick with the violin at least through Middle School! Man, I hope so! :)

New Couches

2011-04-11T21:12:00.002-06:00

Wow. It would seem that I am really scraping the bottom of the blogging barrel the day I write about my new couches. But if you know me and my issues with furniture, this post will make you proud. ;)

For about 4-5 years I have been working on getting new couches. At one point I got very serious about the whole thing. My sister Kim spent days with me in Salt Lake going from store to store looking for the right ones. That was 3 years ago. I found a sectional I liked on our hunt, sort of. I wanted it a little darker and when they told me the price for a custom order, I changed my mind and decided to wait a little longer.

I would look now and then, thinking I just needed to buy something, anything. But I would never commit. The old brown leather couches we had were over 12 years old and they were starting to fall apart. The leather was faded funny colors and the arms were not well attached. After gluing the arm of the loveseat on night, John told me it was time to get serious and find us a couch, or he would. That was over a year ago.

On one of our trips to AZ, a friend of mine told me about this store called Cortate Furniture. Everything was special order, but the prices were fantastic! They make just a little bit on each piece, and they don't have any couches sitting around waiting for a buyer, and they were located in a ratty old warehouse. They make their money with volume and to find what you want, you walk in and look at catalogs and fabric swatches. I found the whole thing to be somewhat overwhelming, yet the cheapskate in me knew that I had found the furniture store I had been searching for all these years.

I really, really wanted to order some couches, but my non-committal self started small.

I ordered a chair.

It was a fabric chair. Not just any fabric chair though, it was a chair with some beef to it. It was a scale well suited to our great room. It had a lifetime warranty on the frame and down filled cushions. Having done a little shopping for furniture all these years, I was completely blown away at the price. It was about 1/3 the price I was expecting and a fraction of the made-to-order boutique type chairs I had seen. Here's the chair (notice it came with not 1, but 2 down pillows as well-what a deal!):

It fit in really well with our house, as it was the same color as the cow fur we accessorize in. Yes, cow fur. I know, I know, but I live in the Wild West, remember?

The chair sat in our great room with our tired old brown leather couches. The scale of the chair made the couches seem even worse and I continued to feel the pressure to replace them.

I had the opportunity to go to Arizona for a couple of days with Elise back in February, and I decided this was it. I had to make it happen. I shopped at the Potato Barn which is another furniture store in Gilbert that I highly recommend. A slightly different business model, they have load of couches you can see and sit on, but they too keep their prices low and focus on volume. There I found a couch that I thought I liked. I sat on it. I walked around it. I looked at the details. I sat on it again. Ya, I was liking it.

So I went over to Cortate and asked to look at the catalogs. I found the frame similar to the one I liked, then I was referred to the fabric swatches. Oh crud. Do you know how hard it is to pick out a couch from a little fabric swatch? OK, now times that by a factor of 2583 and that is how hard it is for ME to pick out a fabric.

I decided to go the chicken route and picked the same fabric I had picked for our chair. Strangely, the combination was really similar to that couch 3 years ago that Kim had helped me find. But there was one thing different...the price! It was FANTASTIC!!! I was able to order 2 couches with down cushions and 4 additional down filled cushions for each. Once I knew the price, picking fabric swatches for the pillows was much easier. I knew that if it turned out poorly, I could just sell them and get something different.

So here they are!
See how the color of the cushions matches the cow fur? Yahoo! I really like the curvy arms and the big metal things.

I also like how they are large scale-it works better for this room. I was a little worried at how dark the leather was when compared to our dark floors, but I like it. In fact, I like it a lot! Yipee! I finally committed and I am so glad!

Here's one more pic from the loft looking down.
I know my sisters are especially glad because they don't have to waste any more of their lives hearing me fret about buying couches (not to mention the time they spent searching around with me!)

So maybe a post about my furniture is bottom of the barrel, but I am considering it the start of a new era. I finally turned the page and bought some new couches. I am ready to begin a whole new chapter in my sitting-around-the-house life. Did I mention how comfy those cushions are? I should have done this years ago!

Something for Sunday-Fasting

2011-04-10T16:35:00.004-06:00

Today is what we call 'Fast Sunday.' It usually falls on the first Sunday of each month, but when we have General Conference, it gets bumped to the second. Contrary to what the name might suggest, we still meet for the entire 3 hour block (I laughed when Jebb recently asked me if this was a 'slow' Sunday or a 'fast' Sunday?) But as a congregation, and as a worldwide church, we meet together in a spirit of prayer and fasting (aka abstaining from food or drink for a prescribed length of time). By fasting, we are putting off our bodily appetites and making them submit to our spiritual nature. We believe that this helps us not only learn self control, but also show God that we are willing to tame our physical selves and yield to our higher selves in order to better commune with Him. This is a Sunday when we are encouraged to pray and ponder about specific things we'd like to improve or possibly petition the Lord for special blessings.

Prayer is an important component to any fast. We are encourage to fast 'with a purpose.' By having a purpose, our prayers and our fast become more meaningful. We can unite with others in our families and congregations to petition the Lord for blessings. It is a very unifying experience to fast with others for a common cause. In my life experience though, I am typically fasting for something I have chosen personally.

And while I have had many good experiences with fasting, too often I find that I am just...hungry. I want to eat. I get a headache. I look at the clock a lot wondering when I will be able to satisfy those hunger pangs. I often have a greatly diminished capacity for patience and loving kindness (ie I can get grumpy). Yes, while I like to fancy myself as being one who is mindful of her Spiritual Nature, often, I find that my Physical Nature can be quite assertive.

But I fast.

And I have done this consistently my whole life.

When I was younger I would sometimes forget. I would walk out to the kitchen in the morning only to find that my dad had remembered. He would string a piece of masking tape across the kitchen door upon which he would write the words 'Fast Sunday' in magic marker. Shoot. I hated it when I couldn't 'forget.' ;)

So yes, fasting has always been a part of my life. I skip breakfast and lunch each Sunday and when dinner comes, it tastes oh so good to finally eat!

This Fast Sunday I thought it would be appropriate to share a faith building experience that I have had so it could be entered into our family record. So here it is!

In 1998, Jack Gilleland (John's dad) decided he would take his posterity on a cruise. Yippee! Imagine how excited I was to have married one of his offspring! :) He selected a cruise that took us from Florida to Roatan, Belize, Cancun, and home again.
At this time we only had 2 kids, Gabe and Seth. They were pretty young and I hadn't really left them much. John decided that this would be a great opportunity for he and I to take a day together and he convinced his mom to agree to watch our kids.

When John and I were first married I had learned to scuba dive. We did several dives on our honeymoon in Hawaii, but then I started having babies, and hadn't dove since then. I still really considered myself a beginner so when John suggested we go diving, I was feeling a little nervous. I don't think it would have been so bad if John had wanted to do a casual, fun, recreational dive, but if you know my husband, you can guess what dive he wanted to do.

John wanted us to dive the Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize. It is a giant circular sink hole that is 1000ft wide and 400 ft deep. It is quite an anomaly and is a famous dive spot. Around 120 feet down in the blue hole, there are, around the edges, a bunch of stalagmites and stalactites. Until you get to this depth, there is really nothing to see except for the walls of the hole. So when you do this dive, you don't add any air to your vest so that you will drop straight down to this depth. Because you are so deep, your dive time is greatly shortened. A tank of air that would normally last 30-40 minutes only lasts 10-12. Therefore, you are encouraged to drop down as fast as you can, then slowly make your way back up, keeping an eye on your depth and your air, as you don't want to ascend too fast (causing damage to your body) or too slow (causing you to run out of air).

When I took my certification classes we learned that the recreational dive limit for depth was 60 feet. To go any deeper, you required additional deep water classes and certification. The maximum depth any diver should ever go was 130 feet. Any deeper and you should have special mixed gas or you can have problems with your body decompressing without injury.

So ya, this was a dive that was WAY out of my comfort zone. I felt extremely apprehensive about it. John's complete lack of concern though persuaded me to go. I reread my dive manual about 5 times so I would remember all of the things i had learned in my certification courses. I kept coming back to a few paragraphs about Nitrogen Narcosis. I will put the Wikipedia definition here:

Narcosis while diving (also known as nitrogen narcosis, inert gas narcosis, raptures of the deep, Martini effect), is a reversible alteration in consciousness that occurs while scuba diving at depth. The Greek word ναρκωσις (narcosis) is derived from narke, "temporary decline or loss of senses and movement, numbness", a term used by Homer and Hippocrates.[2] Narcosis produces a state similar to alcohol intoxication or nitrous oxide inhalation, and can occur during shallow dives, but usually does not become noticeable until greater depths, beyond 30 meters (100 ft).

The condition is completely reversed by ascending to a shallower depth with no long-term effects. For this reason, narcosis while diving in open water rarely develops into a serious problem as long as the divers are aware of its symptoms and ascend to manage it. Diving beyond 40 m (130 ft) is considered outside the scope of recreational diving: as narcosis and oxygen toxicity become critical factors, specialist training is required in the use of various gas mixtures such as trimix or heliox.

My dive handbook warned that divers have been known to do crazy things like take off their masks to give them to the fish. Most commonly though it can cause euphoria and a loss of judgement (they compare it to being very drunk). Obviously, it is not a good thing to have at depth. But it is immediately reversed by simply ascending.

So we prepared to dive. John was my 'dive buddy' or the person you keep with during your dive. You always stay with your buddy and check with them occasionally to make sure everything is all right. You can do this using simple sign language. John asked me if I was all right and I assured him I was fine, although I was super nervous. I figured once I got in the water I would remember everything about diving like a fish riding a bike.

We got in the ocean and began our rapid descent. You have to equalize the pressure in your head as you go down so your eardrums are happy. John was having a little trouble, so we were descending slower than everyone else in our group. I was very aware of our timing and my anxiety was growing. 70 feet, 80 feet. It starts to get a little dark at this depth, and being in a giant shaft didn't help. 90 feet, 100 feet. Getting darker. 110, 120.

It was fairly dark and hard to see much at this depth. I noticed though that I didn't feel as anxious. I felt pretty darn good. I stopped my descent and added a touch of air to my vest so I would maintain my depth. I looked around at the walls and saw the stalagmites and stalactites. Yeah baby. I was liking this.

John descended right after me and pointed at a rock formation. I smiled. I waved.

He came over to me and flashed me the OK sign. I flashed back.

I felt OK. Really OK. But I was feeling very confined all of the sudden.

I had an almost overwhelming desire to take off my mask and remove my respirator.

I had a very surreal moment. It was almost like my consciousness was split in two. There was part of me that was feeling funky and NEEDED to get rid of all this gear, and a part of me that was almost looking on, realizing that was CRAZY!!!! An internal battle immediately began to rage. My hand came up to my respirator and physically started pulling it out of my mouth. My teeth clamped down hard on the mouthpiece, preventing my hand from pulling it out. I was literally engaged in a tug-of-war with myself 120 feet under water.

John later said my eyes got enormous and he wondered what was wrong. He again flashed me the OK sign.

This time I shook my head 'NO!' and circled my ear with my finger making the sign for 'CRAZY!'

John looked confused. I started to panic. I really, really, really felt an almost overwhelming NEED to remove all of my scuba gear. And by almost overwhelming, I felt like in another minute I would not be able to stop myself from shedding all of it. I knew it didn't make sense, but I didn't care. I had to get it off!

I took a deep breathe and said the world's fastest, deepest, underwater prayer.

I instantly knew I had Nitrogen Narcosis and I remembered that it is immediately cured by simply ascending.

I again started tugging at my respirator, while my teeth bit down hard to stop me from removing it. It was the most bizarre feeling to be physically fighting with myself and my will. My other hand reached down and pushed the button that inflated my dive vest, causing me to be more buoyant. I started to ascend. Slowly. I started feeling more freaked out as I got my senses back. As I ascended to 100ft, then 90, 80, 70, the realization of what almost just happened began to sink in. I also realized that I needed to slow my ascent and let my body adjust. I stopped at 50 feet and just paused for a minute.

I wanted to scream, to cry, to wig out like I would on land. But I was still underwater and I felt a calming come over me. I knew just what to do. I paused a little longer, then continued ascending. I got to 10 feet and paused again to adjust, before coming to the surface.

I was the first one up and the captain of our boat was surprised I was there already. He helped me out of the water and asked me if I was all right. I nodded. I sat down on the boat bench and breathed deep, slow breathes of air. I felt so relieved to be above water. I took off my gear and stowed it away then sat back down again. I sat alone to wait for the other divers to break the surface.

In that moment I had a distinct and strong, though completely unexpected impression come to my mind. The Spirit whispered to me that I had been able to maintain enough control over my body because I had observed the Law of the Fast all my life. And because of this, I had lived. It wasn't so much in words that I heard it, but it was more like I just completely understood that idea. It was a connection I would have never logically made in that moment (fasting and Scuba Diving???), but I knew it to be true.

Absolutely true.

I had lived through that experience because I had observed the Law of the Fast and because of that I had an increased measure of control over my body. And frankly, I don't think that's the type of experience I would have lived through otherwise. My physical self submitted to my spiritual self.

CRAZY!!

I stayed on the boat during the second dive over the reef. I rocked on the waves feeling grateful and reverent. I savored the color of the water and the feeling of the warm sun on my skin. I smelled the ocean and watched the seagulls. I felt gratitude for the ability I had to continue experiencing the beauty of the earth with my body. I was happy to be alive and well! :)

And I was grateful for the power of prayer. I was glad to know that God can hear us even when we are underwater! I was also grateful for the things we can learn and understand outside of our 5 physical senses. And I was grateful for the Law of the Fast. Who knew it would be so important in the middle of the ocean 120 feet down?!