Two Weeks Ago...

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since the funeral for my dad.  It's still strange....still seems sureal.  My hubby even mentioned it today as we were driving.
We went to St. George yesterday and back today, nothing like a marathon drive.  His mom and step-dad are snow birds, but it's getting more difficult for her to drive herself, and we've been asking her to let us help her pack and unpack for a year or so.  She's always turned us down, but she finally agreed this year.  We originally were going to take her down on the first, but she changed her mind, and it was a good thing, because that was the week of the funeral.  So...We are always being watched over and there are always small mercies.
Driving back today, we disappointed her a little because she had hoped we'd stay the weekend.  But you see, my siblings were getting together and dividing up what was left of my dad's stuff.  It wasn't supposed to be much, but it was enough that my sister-in-law wanted her garage back, lol.
So, we were trying to get back when they were meeting, but one thing after another made us late getting underway.  And then, when we got to Filmore, we discovered that it was raining.  By the time we got to Kaysville, it was snow, and the traffic had been crazy from Provo on up.  You would have thought it was a week day and rush hour!!  UGH.
I do happen to like the raised speed limit though...it goes much faster!!
Anyway - there were few items that were of any value, but there were several that were fun and would be need for memorials.  A pair of cufflinks that were made in commemoration of the restoration of the priesthood.  Some ties that my sons and hubby can wear.  Some CDs that he liked to listen to.  Some clothing that will fit my sons and hubby.  Small things, but still -- there is a general feeling among my siblings and I that these are just things.  Dad isn't there, he isn't going to worry about any of these things, and he continues to live.
My sister happen to comment one day when she was counting off on the siblings that, "Oh, Lisa's out of town, Steve's out of town..."
We looked at her and said "Out of town?  They're dead!"
She shrugged.  "Well, that is out of town!"
So now I guess dad is out of town as well.  Wayyyy out of town.  sigh.
I guess one of these days I'll be able to handle it better, I won't tear up when I see a program or read the obituary.  I'll be able to think about going to the family Christmas party and know I won't hear his voice telling us the rules to the white elephant gift giving.  This year will be difficult because two of the four brothers are gone and everyone is going to be feeling it.
We are given this life as a gift.  Each person we meet and know and love is a gift.  The memories we have of them -- of life with them -- are a gift.
Priceless gifts that will never fade or go away.  The only thing we can take with us.
Truely an amazing gift from our loving father.
Remember to tell all you care about that you LOVE THEM today.  You never know how much or little time you have.

Farewell Dad

Well...today was one I didn't think I'd have to face for a while.  My dad's funeral was today.  He was an amazing man, with great love and compassion.  He loved to fish, play tennis and be with family.  It was the hardest thing I've done in a while.

Love you dad.  I'm sure you're having a great time with mom, Lisa and Steve now.  Remember we love you.

As If Things Couldn't Get Worse...

Have you ever wondered how some people get into certain positions?  I mean like the government.  All these people that are playing games right now with people's livelihoods were ALL voted there.  Isn't that a sad fact? 

We were listening to a radio talk show the other day, and the caller was saying that she was going to have to participate in the new insurance care bit.  (I refuse to type his name, okay?)  the talk show host asked her if she'd voted.  She said she hadn't because she didn't think her vote would count.

Well...this is a shocker, but now you see why your vote would have counted.  If more people had gotten out and voted for the OTHER GUY, we might not be in this situation as a country. 

It's pretty pathetic, and I'm sure it's harming our image over seas.  So far it hasn't effected my family personally except for a vacation we were hoping to take in a couple of weeks. 

Fish Lake is a National Park.  So, you know what that means.  Sigh.

How can so many people make so many WRONG decisions and not be aware of it??  How can they be so clueless??  And they are still arguing...

Any bets as to how long this lasts??  Apparently the longest one was during Bill Clinton's term.  That doesn't make me feel any better...this is the second time during this president.  I was surprised to discover that it was shut down 8 times during Reagans term, and 6 times during Carter's.  UGH.  I remember the Carter years, but I think I was in baby fog with Reagan, lol.

Oh well...everyone pray for our leaders.  They REALLY need it.

I Think I'm Turning Cynical

Or is it just aging?  I'm not sure.  I went to the doctors office with my daughter today and while waiting, observed there were 4 magazines in the rack for me to look at while waiting.  This was in the actual doctors examining room, not the waiting area - just to be clear.

One was GQ... which was totally full of men who were full of themselves...I mean wow.  I guess it's how men see women's magazines like O or Martha Stewart...hm.  Took me several minutes to find the article about Jeff Bridges, and after reading half the article I had to give up.  Too much language and it was getting into the kinky stuff that I really didn't want to know.  Found out that he's 10 years older than me and has actually been married to the same woman for 40 years, so that's something...

Another one was US...which is just a photo filled tabloid that passes as a magazine.  It has nothing but rumors and smut.  sigh.

one was Sunset Magazine, which is usually kind of interesting.  This issue was all about some really nice beach houses and wine country. A couple of recipes, but nothing I really wanted to try or copy.  Lovely.  Wish I had money.

The last one was the medical ones that the insurance companies put there that are supposed to have all sorts of encouraging things and suggestions.  This one had a little kid on the cover and was discussing raising healthy eaters.  Yeah.  Really felt like big brother telling me what to do...

So - either I spend too much time in doctors offices (which has actually been cut down quite a bit now that my youngest is 18 and hasn't done anything since breaking his arm this past spring, lol) or I'm becoming cynical.

Part of it is due, I think, to the latest bit about Obamacare.and all the hoopla over it.  I hate to say this - and it will label me, I'm sure - but it's what our government is headed toward.  I heard the statement made that our nation was headed toward a one payment plan type thing.  In other words, government healthcare.

Sigh.  Things are really going to the dogs. 

And my poor son.  Today was supposed to be the Bday party to end all bday parties.  We were going to do a glow in the dark nerf war.  I found all sorts of cool glow in the dark sticks and stuff and my hubby got strobe lights and I made a cake (well...it was kind of lame, but he liked it) that looked like nerf bullets, and you know what??? NO ONE CAME.  Not a soul. 

The same thing happened at his 16th bday party.  Go figure.  That one had been at Boondocks.  We ended up having fun anyway, but it was still sad.

Today, we managed to go ahead and play and it was a blast and we want to make this an annual thing.  But he was still depressed.  What do you say??  How do you get past this??

And then the RS Conference -- President Monson told the most wonderful story that said "Heavenly Father loves you!!  And always will.  That never changes."  wow.  Okay.  I just have to help my son see that.

I Think I Should Apologize...

Apologize... In case any one read my post the other day - it was kind of a rant.  Sigh.  What can I say??  I guess I was feeling a little crazy - we just found out my dad has several aneurysms and we are in the middle of the wait-and-see time.  He had a CT scan today, and they are doing some prep on the 8th...and then I guess a few days after that he'll go in, and we're sitting here going "HELLO???  These puppies could rupture any time and you're taking your own sweet time about it!!!"

Okay.  I'm calm now.  But anyway - that's kind of where my mind was the other day - so hope no one thought I was too wigged out.

Cause of course you'll really think I am now, huh?

lol.

Hey - did anyone catch the season premire of the Agents of Shield?  Anyone care to guess what really happened to Agent Colson?  We think he was cloned....

Have a good one.

I Couldn't Believe It

I got sucked into reading another stupid article about Miley C.  I'm not going to bother spelling out her last name -- if you don't know who I'm talking about, thank your lucky stars.  UGH.  That girl is...well, let me just say she needs a REALLY good friend right now to tell her the way it is.

The article said that her mother goes on tour with her.  There was this 'cute' little anecdote about how she was getting ready to get into her teddy bear costume for that awards show (where she showed how little respect she had for herself) and her mother asked her if she didn't need to go to the bathroom first.  She was like "mom!  ____ is right there!"  Well...like that mattered?  After what she did on stage for over six minutes was less embarrassing than having her mother suggest she go to the bathroom??  I feel like quoting Ron in the Harry Potter series:  "That girl has got to get her priorities straight!"

It's a sad sign of our day, really.  When the parents of that girl seem to support her in her various lewd activities.  I can understand them telling the press every where that she is "still their little girl".  They should still love her and let her know they are there for her.  But where do you draw the line?  I know I would be totally mortified if my daughter had behaved in such a way in front of millions of people!  It's pretty much like her filming a porn movie in front of a live audience, right?  How could you not go screaming into the night?

I guess they're doing the best they can, I mean, she's of age.  She lives on her own -- apparently down the street from them.  So mom goes on tour with her.  I guess that's showing her support...but I wonder if she has trouble sleeping at night? 

I know I do, and my children don't have half the problems her daughter does.  Am I being judgmental?  Probably, so I guess I should repent.  I'm sure she has many fine qualities.  At least, I felt she did when she was doing the Disney show.  Now, I'm not so sure.  I would definitely not call her a roll model.  I think she needs to be introduced to our wonderful member who likes to be known as the Tatooed Mormon.  I think she could tell her a thing or two about the life she is heading into. 

It's just so sad.  I'm sure Heavenly Father is up there shaking his head in sorrow - like he must feel like doing over all of us, huh?

sigh. 

Sometimes being the parent of the world must be the pits.

I can't begin to imagine.

Well...try to have a good one.  ;)  At least the weather has cooled off and we're headed into fall!!  Fun times!  ;)

Hippo Birdies...

And I guess I should honor the day and mention that my youngest turned 18 today... sigh.  No more babies...wait, I'm going to be a grandmother again in November...so I guess life has come full circle, huh?  lol
Hippo birdie, my son.  And many more...

Reality Check - Clean Your Room

I still can't believe it.

Jaden Smith (Credit: AP/Evan Agostini-as posted at SALON.com)

I have always been a fan of Will Smith.  I like his acting, his music for the most part (I'm not big on rap) and I was impressed at his marriage lasting in today's Hollywood climate.  I often wondered how they were raising their kids in such a wealthy and twisted world.  Well...now we know, sort of.

Apparently Jaden decided that school is for the dogs.  Well, what 15 year old doesn't usually feel that way - I mean, I don't think junior high is anyone's favorite memory, right?  Or even your sophomore year? Well, the end of the article quoted Will Smith as saying that the way parents treat children is kind of like slavery/property, and:
             "We respect our children the way we would respect any other person. Things like cleaning
               up their room. You would never tell a full-grown adult to clean their room, so we don't tell
               our kids to clean their rooms."

(Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/jaden-smith-if-everyone-dropped-out-of-school-society-would-be-more-intelligent-2013169#ixzz2fORnmn2J )

Okay.  Well.  I happen to disagree.  I guess we all have the right to our opinions, and since I've had seven kids, perhaps I might have a little more say than him, because they've had two.  Who knows.  It doesn't exactly make me an expert, but I might know a little.

I have adult children that live in my home.  They even pay rent.  But you know what?  Sometimes they are messy.  We've told them to clean it up.  It's a place where several people live, and private space or not, there is a certain level expected for civilized living.  I don't expect anything of them that I don't demand of myself, so I figure that's fair.

But besides that - how else does a child learn??  By example?  That only goes so far.  What kid wants to clean their room??  Some do, and that's cool.  But usually a parent has to remind them.  It's not what their world revolves around.  But the vast majority?  Hey, there's lots more to life than cleaning your room.  There is the great outdoors, sports, games, friends, food..."Ah, Mom!  You want me to clean my room?  Again?  But I just cleaned it last week..."  Believe it or not, I remember being on the other end of that.  I would resolve to keep my room cleaned this time!  It would be perfect!  And within a month, I'd be having to step over things.  Again.  sigh.  So reality sucks.  So does being a parent.  And being a parent means you teach your children what being responsible is about.

That means you might have to tell them some things they might not want to hear.  Like "You need to clean your room before mold starts growing on your socks."  Or, "You need to brush your teeth before they start falling out."  Or  "It's your turn to empty the garbage and you need to do it now before the dogs scatter it all over the house again."  Or "Turn off the lights when you leave the room or you won't have any power to your room next time the power bill is over $200."  How about "Put your dishes in the dishwasher when you're done or you'll have to wash all the dishes by hand for a week."  See, it's all responsibility and consequences.  

When kids move out on their own they'll discover that the dishes don't wash themselves, clothes don't magically wash and dry themselves, and rooms aren't self cleaning.  It's one of those facts of life that most kids learn before they reach 15.

Hate to tell ya, Jaden, you would hate to live in my house.  I don't have a housekeeper, cook, or butler.  You'd be on your own.  But my kids know how to cook, wash their own clothes, mow the lawn, and do the dishes.  They might not always like doing those things, and sometimes they have to be reminded on a couple of them, but for the most part?  They know it's part of living with other humans.  Period.

Guess money doesn't buy you everything, huh?

This Time 12 Years Ago...

I was sitting in the family room in front of the TV in stunned dismay.  My family gathered around me and no one saying a word.  The images on the TV being replayed and replayed, over and over made us cringe every time.

My youngest was turning 6 in a week.  My oldest were 14.  They remember hearing about it in school and coming home in confusion.  My husband had called me from work and said to turn on the TV, otherwise I wouldn't have known anything about it.  We have military in our family and it was a shock to realize that they were now going to be involved in fighting in a whole new way.

What saddens me most about the whole thing is that few people actually remember this day.  My daughter came home from work and said that her co-workers were wondering why the flag was at half mast.  She was like, really??  It's Patriot Day.  They were like, ohhh.

Really??

Somewhere we have messed up.  Somehow schools haven't kept important dates in the forefront of students minds.

We do so in our family, and perhaps that is the answer.  There aren't enough families keeping the spirit of our nation alive.  That's why we are struggling so with everything.

Sadly, the family is under attack, our faith is under attack, and our nation is under attack.  Continually.

We are using electricity, have food at our finger tips, have cars, gas to buy, and pretty much anything we really need.  And we have these things because of intelligence, inspiration and blessing.  And sweat and tears and blood.

 Our country began it's might through the determination of our civilian military.  Our country has continued through the gritty determination and guts of determined men and women.  Military, Doctors, Firefighters, EMT, Paramedics, and many others that usually end up getting the raw end of the deal.  Their pay scale is the lowest, their risk is the highest.  Go figure.

I hope that if you're reading this you remember what this day is and what it stands for.  I hope you know how important it is to remember it.

And Never Forget.

He Still Has What it Takes!

We were one of those fortunate to be able to attend the OC Tanner Gift of Music concert at the Conference center on Friday (or Saturday, as the case may be) starring James Taylor and it was SOOOO amazing!!

(photo from the LDS.org site)

We haven't been to a concert in a long time.  I think the last one we went to was Yanni for Valentines...oh, sooo long ago, lol.  And then we had amazing seats!  My hubby claimed it was all due to me, as we both put in for tickets and I was the one that got them.  ;)  But we were six rows back from the stage (still couldn't figure out why no one was seated there yet when we got to claim them) and we could see President Monson, President Uchdorf and Elder Holland!!  It was prime.  ;)

But the best, let me say, was James Taylor himself!

He is getting along in years, which is hard to take - that just means we're all getting older!  lol  But he could still play a mean guitar and sing just like the CDs in my car!!  sigh.  It was sooo much fun.

It was funny, before it started someone was way excited and yelled.  I teased the security guard that the Rednecks were in the building.  He said they weren't in his section!  lol 

He said something about this being a rock n roll concert, and everyone needed to have their lighters out.  I was like, what??  James Taylor isn't rock n roll, James Taylor is (well, at least in my mind) a Folk artist.  But whatever, it was great. 

And of course, so was the Utah Symphony.  Man.  And ALWAYS the Tab Choir.  sigh.  What can I say?  It was awesome.  And I expected everyone to start singing along with Shower the People, and not many did...what's up with that?? lol  Oh well.  I guess everyone wasn't quite as into the music as I was...  ;)

And my hubby bought me balloons!  We had dinner at the Nauvoo Cafe, which I didn't even know existed, and seemed kind of like a scaled down Zuppas...lol.  We had meant to just walk around for about an hour, and spotted the crowd already heading toward the conference center...so figured we'd better look into that.  It was a good thing we did, that's why we got such awesome seats - we were there an hour early, lol.  ;)

Totally worth it.  What a great night.  ;)

Why am I Fat? Good Question

Today's world is all about image.  If you haven't realized that, you need to look at a few magazine covers or watch a few commercials...ugh.

Being a Christian, the idea is something else.  It's what's on the inside, not the outside.  However- having grown up in this society, it's not always possible to get that through the brain.  Despite all we tell ourselves, we are still our own biggest enemy when it comes to image.

I have been heavy all my life.  When I was little, I used to tell my dad that I wanted to be a ballerina.  He would pat me on the head, and even bought me a shoe box one time - but he never had the heart to tell me I didn't have the body for it.  Everyone that loved me hid the idea that I was not skinny from me.  I didn't realize it until I was 12, really.  And my step-grandmother put me on a diet.  I was visiting my grandfather for a couple of weeks, and she about had a cow.

I weighed 132 pounds.

As I got older, I streamlined a little.  When I was 16, I had gained more, but not so much that I was a blob - just larger than the skinny girls.  I didn't have dates, didn't have a boyfriend (though I did have a couple of boys that tried) and I went through my teenage years reading my life away.

When I moved to Utah and discovered what a real family was like, food was part of the comfort.  Food has always been a comfort to me.  I'm not entirely sure why, but I have discovered that part of me is always worried of where my next meal is going to come from.  Needless to say I went through some tight times when I was younger, and it's still inside me...waiting.

I went on weight watchers, and lost 40 pounds.  I felt like a new person.  I was done with dieting, I never really did work out, and my personality did a 180...to the dark side.  I became some stranger that I still don't recognize or understand why...but that's what it was.  My sophomore year at college was a nightmare I am glad is totally over and gone...

The happiest time in my life was when I was living in Salt Lake with roommates...working out, working full time, living the single life.  I was waiting for Mr Wright to return from his mission, and trying to become my best self at the same time.

No dates...no real prospects even - but I wasn't too worried.  I knew Mr. Wright was out there, and that he'd hinted at having feelings for me.

When he came home and things clicked and we got married, life was perfect.  And I gained weight.  When I'm happy, I eat.  It's part of my pshyci...(however you spell that).  My hubby likes what I cook, so he gained weight too.  By the time I got pregnant with my twins, I had gained 30 pounds, and the doctor was worried about pregnancy issues.  She sent me to a dietician, and it worked excellent.  I lost 20 pounds before the twins even started gaining anything.  I lost everything I had gained with them in delivery...but then gained some after and also got pregnant right way...

So, needless to say, my life has been up and down with weight.  My heaviest was about 5 years ago.  I weighed over 300 pounds.  I felt awful, I couldn't do anything exertive, and my hubby was worried about my health.  I had already started doing Zumba, because I like to dance.  That was a wonderful thing for me!  Then I ended up going to a personal trainer.

She was the best!  Working with her I managed to loose almost 100 pounds!  The first time in over 10 years I weighed within site of 200.  It was sooo amazing!!

And then I hit a wall.  I have no idea why...I still don't, other than I'm in my 50's and have menopause...sigh.  My trainer was stumped too.  We went through another six months, and then she decided to quit and be a mom for her babies.  Totally cool! 

We hooked up with my niece.  She's been great too, but the weight stopped plateauing, it started going back up.

I haven't been on a scale for a while, and I'm afraid to.  The last time I got on one I'd gained 50 pounds back!!  I feel like I'm slowly bloating.  I've tried green smoothies, (which we love, and try to keep eating for breakfast), but they didn't help me loose anything.

I've tried protein drinks, but had to stop that because I was eating too much protein and hurting my kidneys.

sigh.

So, I'm still reviewing options.

But, I actually tried out for Biggest Looser this past spring.  It was a big step for me to do that, and I met some amazing women, but didn't make it.  Compared to some of the people, I was rather slim...and didn't have some tragic story.

I just finished a book by one of the contestants from season 8.  I don't watch the show, we don't really watch tv - but I used to see the updates on Yahoo of where they started, and how much they lost.  One of the winners inspired me to look at getting a personal trainer because she was in her late 40's.  I figured if she could do it, then it wasn't impossible to loose weight.

Anyway - I finished this book called Working it Out...by Abby Rike.  It's pretty cool, she sounds totally amazing, and I like that she's a religious person.  She's had a tough hardship to go through, and she's done well.  What really got me thinking though, is why I can't seem to get there.

What is it that keeps me fat??  I have pretty much given up refined sugar.  We don't eat much fat, but we do have real butter and olive oil and coconut oil in the house.  I love avocados...and dark chocolate.  We don't have any white flour, and I don't eat whole eggs anymore - give me whites!!! lol.  I love to experiment with cooking and making things low sugar and low fat...but I guess when it comes right down to it, I still just love to eat.

And my family likes what I cook.  Which only encourages me...lol

Well...I'm thinking it's time to start making some serious steps in my life.  My hubby has been soooo supportive of me in my various ventures and talents.  He is an amazing man, and has always been my Mr. Wright.

But I have to shift my thinking a little.  I know I need to work out every day.  I let life get in the way, and now that I've recognized that, I think it's time to get myself going.

anyway - I'm just venting and thinking out loud.  Not that I think anyone's going to really get anything out of this, but here ya go.  I'm looking at the mountain ahead of me, and trying to figure out the best way to get climbing.  I know one step at a time is always the best way...it's that first step.

Wish me luck.  ;)

If Only It Were Real...

Apparently today marked the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's famous speach, "I have a dream."  Well, we all have that same dream, in one way or another.  We would all like to see world peace, and not sound like a beauty contestant.
The problem is, his speech and his dream have become soooo different than what I think he meant for them to be.  He meant for all of us, whether colored, white, etc., would come to live in peaceful co-existence.  There would be no separate peoples, we would all be one race.
When you think about it, we ARE all one race.  The human race.  We are all children of a Heavenly Father who loves us and made us in His image.  If only everyone realized that and acted upon it.  The world would be a much different place.
I have often dreamed of a world without crime, hate, war and anger.  A world full of peace and happiness.
I realize that this dream is only possible with the return of our Savior.  We can come close - I mean, Enoch managed it with the city of Zion, and we are striving for that today, are we not?
But true peace, and amazing happiness will come with the return of Jesus.  I pray for it to come soon.
The world really - really needs Him.

Really?

I read a post this morning on Desnews website that made me groan and shake my head.  Now granted, I tend to read a lot of stuff online that makes me groan, and lots of it I'll shake my head at, but doing both at the same time?? lol

(sorry - found this photo a LONG time ago and don't know who to credit it to...)

Anyway - it was an article about soul mates.  Personally, I think her premise that there is no 'soul mate' for us is probably true.  The whole Saturdays Warrior thing is more romance I think, than reality.  I do think that there are those more likely to be right for us than wrong, and that we need to be selective.  But to say that Heavenly Father really doesn't have a say on who we marry, as far as encouragment, isn't quite there.

We know differently, I think.  I'm going to be a little personal here:
My patriarchal blessing told me that I needed to be careful in choosing my friends because I would choose my husband from my friends.
I tell you - that gave me BIG hope during my struggling college and post mission days.  Just because I wasn't dating didn't mean I wasn't going to get married.  My Heavenly Father knew I needed hope and He gave it to me in a way that I could always hang onto.

When I met my future husband, I was attracted to him, though I thought he was weird.  Apparently being weird is a qualification for being my friend.  Just so ya know...cause I guess I have several that are kind of weird...and my kids are weird, so we kind of passed it on... lol

Anyway - I met him for the first time when I was 18.  Didn't make much of an impression, and I didn't give him a second thought.  I met him again after my mission.  That's when I thought he was weird.  But, he was cute, and I could tell he was getting ready to go on a mission.  (a little late...some of us are slow in that department - he is 5 days older than I am)  We became great friends.  I could talk to this man about ANYTHING!

And that's something that I think is essential in a future mate.  He may not be your soul mate, but he is someone that you have much in common with, you can talk to him about anything, and you don't feel like you have to talk when you're with him.  It's comfortable just to be together.  Our Father in Heaven may not point a finger at a particular guy and say, "Hey!  Pay attention!  That's your man, now go get him!"
We do have freedom of choice, remember?  He also knows that there is the possibility of several men that we would find happiness with.  He will guides us in our lives to find those that we need.

I know there were several jokes going around when I was single about our husbands being killed in the war in heaven...or that our hubby was born in the dark ages and we missed out...  But each of us has a plan.  There are many variables in life, and there is a plan.

We learn and grow from everything we go through, and waiting to find the one that makes you happy might be your growing experience.  For those of us who never do find the man of their dreams, there could be all sorts of reasons.  Perhaps he never found you either and went through life alone.  Perhaps he was born on the other side of the globe and never did follow the guidance of Heavenly Father to find you.

I'm just glad I had that little sentence in my blessing so that I had hope.  Now 27 years, 7 children and 2 grandchildren later, there isn't much I would change about my life.  Definitely wouldn't change who I chose to marry.  ;)

And I know that Heavenly Father had everything to do with that.  Just saying.

We're Back! And We Survived....sort of...

Well...we went to Bear Lake last weekend for a couple of days of family fun and reunion time.  It was mostly...but it was also just a lot of driving.  ;)  We went up Thursday night -- about an hour later than we meant to start out, and got there later so we had to put the tent up in the dark.  That's always fun.  NOT.  Have I ever mentioned that I'm not really a camping fan??  My idea of camping is a trailer or a condo...just saying...
Anyway - spent the night laying there awake...as usual now...and then freezing as the temperature finally went down.  Then we got up a little earlier than everyone else, simply because we hadn't really slept well...and went for a quick bike ride.  It was a gorgeous day!
We came back and made pancakes, which turned out to be a great way to re-introduce myself to my nieces daughter.  ;)  She really likes pancakes...  Then we spent most of the morning putting my mother-in-law's new tricycle together (and I forgot to take pictures!!  It was great, lol) and then spent the majority of the afternoon helping everyone blow up their water toys with our car air pump. I got sooo fried!  I can't believe it - I spent the entire day other than my quick bike ride, in THE SHADE!!  But no, I've got this almost purple sun burn around my neck.  That makes things interesting...sigh.
We ate dinner, sat around and talked and then I decided to try and sleep as I was soooo tired.  Not happening.  They talked till past 1:30...and then we had changed the spot where the tent was, which made my head kind of down...so I had to switch ends so I wouldn't be sleeping on my head all night.  It was crazy!!  Finally got to sleep...
We got up later than we meant to because we were so tired, and then got most everything packed up and took off to come home.
We had my nieces baptism!!  So we got home and changed clothes and dashed up there only a couple of minutes late... that went really well, she is such a doll!
Then we went back home, changed clothes and ran errands that needed to be run before the Bean Dip that night.  This is our annual Bean family gathering on what used to be GG Bean's bday.  This year, all the uncles weren't feeling up to coming, so none of their progeny showed up.  That didn't bother us, it was still fun and we had a great time playing a game of Jeopardy that my niece created related to the family.  Then we went swimming at the Farmington pool, which is why it's called the Bean Dip...get it??  lol
Then we left early because we were so tired - to come home and get things ready for Sunday as we were going back to Bear Lake to spend the day with everyone.  We ended up not getting to bed till after 11...sigh.  But it was the best nights sleep I've had in a LONG time.  ;)
Then we drove up a little later than we'd planned, but it was okay - they were still doing breakfast when we got up there, so we made ours and then we ran to church.  I tell you - they know how to prepare for large congregations!!  They had two sacrament tables!  And 24 priesthood holders helping pass!  It was the most organized thing I'd ever seen!
Then we went to meet everyone at the beach, where we were going to spend the rest of the afternoon.  We ended up driving all around the lake...which isn't a bad drive.  It's kind of pretty!  And ended up down at Rendezvous Beach.  It was windy, but fun.  We walked up the coast a little - it was pretty crowded.  What really kills me is the garbage people leave behind...  I mean, really??  It's like their brains take a vacation when they're on vacation and they don't think about what their doing.  We figured it would make a really good Eagle Scout project to install garbage cans on the beach and clean it up once a month during the summer.  I just saw online though, that they have an annual clean up day in September...so perhaps they're on it.
Anyway, as we were packing up to leave the beach a dust devil picked up and blew our umbrella and another groups umbrella and a lot of their stuff down the beach!!  It was crazy. I thought 'Oh man!' and ducked down, afraid we were going to get hit with them.
We went back, made dinner, which took longer than expected, which I could have done a post about and might still do - only no photos!!  sigh.  why do I have a camera??  which is another thing - my sister-in-law has an awesome zoom lens that she found in KSL.  I'm sooo jealous!!  It was amazing!  I want a zoom...sigh.
here's an example-

this is the sail boat from where we were sitting before I switched lenses

and this is after.  See how much closer I get???  My lens just doesn't get any closer!!
here's a shot of them on the jet ski -

this is from before the other lens...

and after.  So...this isn't the best example because it looks about the same, but I can tell you that the second one is farther out...lol
Anyway, so we hurried up and ate, finished packing and headed home.  We played a scripture game on the way home with walkie-talkies, which I need to remember for next family trip.  It was so much fun!  and it made the ride go much faster!
Anyway - so, we survived the crazy weekend and are now trying to put the house back in order from Sherie and family moving into their own house.  So- we are back down to 7!!!  Which feels much nicer...lol
insanity continues...
2 weeks till work starts back up....:(  but I'm glad to have a job!! Which has actually turned into full time this year, and will be quite the challenge...sigh.  Life is always about change, right??  Yep.

And on an ending side note - I am SOO thankful for air conditioning!!  ;)

It's Hot

I just thought I'd clear things up about the weather, you know?  In case you had any doubts, in case you lived in a nice northwestern location that is usually green year round...lol  Or perhaps south eastern..sigh.  But if you live in the rocky mountain area of the world, it's HOT.  It's summer, and I'm soooo ready for fall.

I also got hired on in a full time job yesterday!  I have mixed feelings about it.  They had a full time position where I work open up two years ago, but they 'forgot' I was part time and didn't even offer it to me.  It was okay, I wasn't really ready for a full time spot yet.  I'm not sure I am now - I still have a kid in school!  But it is his last year, and he can handle it if mom isn't there for the first 15 min after he gets home...I guess.  :(  And then my oldest son reminded me that when my youngest daughter was a senior, I was working at a part time job in Salt Lake that I got home after them.  I had totally forgotten that!!  It was one of the reasons I quit that job...

Oh well...life goes on.

I'm also a little frustrated with my body and with life in general.  I've been unable to loose any more weight since my initial wonderful loss of almost 100 pounds three years ago.  I've also gained half of it back!!!  And I eat healthy!  Okay...I do have chocolate now and again, but my biggest struggle has been excersising.  I have so many things going on that I have a hard time getting it in.  I end up doing some time on the recumbent bike at 11:30...pm...sigh.

And I am not sleeping well.  I know part of it is stress - remember the post about all the people living in our house???  (which actually should start getting better, as they are officially moving out today!! I'm going to miss my little granddaughter...:(  )  And then keeping on top of two teenagers..and fixing meals for everyone when we don't want to cook - oh well.  I know many people have MUCH more stress than I do, it just seems to make me blow up like a water balloon.  I just don't know what to do.

I might have to go back on veggie shakes for a while.

Anyway - got to get stuff done.  I've been painting - trying to get something done for the fair, and I'm still not happy with what I've come up with.  Might need to try painting today....not like I've got nothing else to do, lol.

Random question - why is it that the wind blowing makes it look cooler outside???  lol

The Impossible

If you haven't had a chance to watch this movie yet, you really should.  I know it's just another disaster film, but yet, this one is real.  It's also a tear jerker and man...so many painful parts!!

I'm a fan of Ewan McGregor, and he does a great job in this.  I guess if you wanted to pick it apart you could tell it was a little lower budget film, but it's still amazing.  I think it does a much better job than that other film I did a review of, the Fifth Quarter.   

So anyway - if you want something that reminds you how wonderful and important your family is, how people can pull together in a crisis, this is a must see.

It reminds me how once again, we're stuck in a place where we can't help anyone.  We couldn't help with Haiti, we couldn't help with Katrina, the tornado in Oklahoma, sigh.  We pray for them, we support financially when we can, and we donate blood.  

Sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough.

It also makes me wonder what it's going to be like when it's us.  When the end is closer and we have some kind of disaster of our own.  Are we going to feel like we're living in a movie?

Only time will tell.

At least we got rain today!!  Much cooler temps so it's a bit nicer weather.  Have a good one.  Tell the ones in your family that you love them.

Looking for the Stillness

Well, I told you how we now have a house full of people.  We haven't been this full since like....2005?  Actually, I guess we've never been THIS full, but it makes life interesting.

It also makes it a necessity to find whatever spots of peace that we can.  To enjoy every bit of joy that we can find.  The other night, for example; my son-in-law was taking care of his daughter after a bath.  They were talking, he was reading her a story, and her little voice was so sweet.  Then mom (my daughter) came in, and they were all three of them a spot of peace in the chaos that had been the weekend.  It was a moment I wished I'd been able to get on video.  This is one of my favorite shots of them.

Sunday was my youngest daughter's bday.  Her sister's were two weeks before, but things being what they are, no one has had a proper celebration at the house.  So, Sunday was kind of a combination for the 2 of them.  I made three smaller cakes, one for each of the girls, in hopefully the flavor they wanted, lol, and then one big one for everyone else.

I hope the youngest doesn't feel like she was just thrown in with the crowd again...because I was worried about it.  I tried to make her cake the center and more decorated...sigh.  Our weekends are so crazy lately though, that I don't think she had very much fun.  I did make her waffles for breakfast, at least.  And she asked for lasagna for dinner which we did dutch oven style and seemed to turn out okay.  She liked it, so that's all that matters.  ;)

My little granddaughter is growing up so fast!  She seems to be like a sweet weed...just shooting up!  And so smart!  We were slightly worried that she wasn't talking much.  That is not a problem any more.  I think she has an amazing vocabulary.  She still will stay stuff that's a little gibberish sometimes, but usually it's pretty clear.  It was really sweet when my in-laws were over and she came and grabbed GG Dahl's hand and said "come play!"

We have been extremely blessed with moisture the past week and today.  It hasn't poured so much (except for Saturday, of course) but it's been sooo needed.  I am so Thankful!!!  Our lawn is past saving at this point, but at least we do have some green spots.  ;)

I can't believe that I'm coming up on only having a month left before going back to work!!!  ARGH.  The summer is never long enough.  I'm really wishing I could just stay home, I have so much that I want to do!  But, the need is still pretty high for me to work, so I am thankful that at least I can work part time, and it's a great job.  And the ladies I work with are awesome.  So, if you got to work, it's not bad...lol

Anyway - off to try and get something accomplished for the day, since the house is VERY quiet today...odd...Hope you have a great day!

Weren't we supposed to be empty nesters by now???

Okay -  I have to admit, I've looked forward to the time when it would just be my hubby and me in the house.  (well, okay, we knew we'd probably have Randy for the rest of our lives, but he doesn't make much noise and we don't have to do much for him...lol)  We have a couple of dogs we'd have to walk, cats to feed, a garden to take care of, a yard that's too big, and the house to maintain.  That's plenty, don't you think??

But the kids just won't go!!  First, our second twin moves out and then back and then out, has child, gets married and is now back. in. our. house.  With hubby and baby, thank heavens, and two dogs...  sigh.  But, really?  and two turtles and three two fish...

Second, oldest twin, moves out, gets kicked out of that apartment, then another one, and ends up moving home.  with dog.  Look like a pattern yet?

Oldest son joins the Army, leaves home for boot camp and training.  Comes home, never finds a job...moves out with friends.  Gets married, moves back home, we kick him and wife out...  don't see them for two years, and now he's back with the second twin, as he'd been living with them....at least he didn't bring any animals.

Youngest daughter has yet to leave home....at least she's going to school full time and working full time...;)  and doesn't own any pets outside the cats that roam the yard...

Second oldest son goes on mission and comes home and takes forever to find a job, I'm not sure if he's really going to be going to school in the fall, but he's still here....no animals either, lol.

Youngest two are just here.  The very youngest is going to be a senior!!  sigh.  So, there is a chance he'll be out of the house in a year or so.  Maybe he'll take a cat with him.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that in the past week we went from a household of 7 to a household of 11!!!  ARGH.  Okay...I'm calm.

We spent our holiday weekend cleaning out rooms to make space for everyone.  We have now shifted our workout area to the old workshop, which is going to be handy.  There was just a lot of stuff in there that we still need to take care of...lots of visits to the dump.  Hubby didn't get much rest, and he's trying to get a paper rewritten for school.  Nothing trivial...

So, hope you had a great 4th.  The day itself was pretty good, nice bbq and fireworks!!  My favorite thing about this week??  RAIN!!  we've had rain almost every day (or night...)  it's been wonderful.

Hope you had a great one!!

it's a crazy world

wow.  I tell ya, life is totally insane.  I was reading an insert for the cover of an album of Simon and Garfunkel...(please tell me you've heard of them) and how they were a calming soundtrack to the troubled times of the 60's and early 70's.

Troubled times???  Okay, so I guess I was young, but I remember growing up in the 60's and 70's.  I grew up with Abba and rock and roll, back when it was recent, not golden oldies.  I remember wanting Nixon to be re-elected...and being heart broken when he messed up and resigned...  I remember Carter and the people lining up for gas.  I wasn't driving, so it didn't mean as much to me as others, but I remember it.  I also remember gas being .60 a gallon...but that's beside the point.

I'm sure there were many that experienced more of the troublesome times.  I know there was a lot going on with Vietnam and all that.

But I want to point out today.  I think today's youth have much more to deal with than I did.  I remember when my husband and I were engaged and we were commenting on something to my mom, and she said she had the same challenges when she was getting married.  Everyone has the same challenges, it's just a different generation.

Well, I hate to disagree with her (especially since she's passed on and can't rebut my statements, lol) but I think there is a definite challenge that the youth of today face.  It's much more than I ever dreamed of.  There is SO much more for them to process, for them to do, for them to decide on, than I ever thought would happen.

I mean, there was no such things as computers, cell phones, video games, etc.  We played games outside.  We had video arcades, but I never went there.  We had TV, and we watched cartoons on Saturday morning, and then American Bandstand when they ended with Dick Clark.  Porn was something we heard about existing, but it wasn't constantly in the face.  I don't remember ever seeing a commercial for tampons on the TV, or women's underwear.  Most bathing suits were one piece, the bikini was something that only the skinny girls and those who weren't LDS wore.  (oh well)  Movies would be in theaters for months at a time, and it was an event to go to them, not something that we did every week.  I remember watching the Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday.

Today's world is a whole different animal.  Not only are the youth of today thrust into the reality of porn every time they turn around, but they have access to the world at their fingertips.  The chaos that is our world of today is every day a new storm, devastation, war, killing, drowning, natural disaster, etc.  It makes me sad.

I have begun to pray for the return of our Lord and Savior.  I don't want my grandchildren to be raised in this world.  It's bad enough my own children have to struggle so hard.  I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in 10 to 15 years.

It's a blessing that at least we have the gospel and hope for a better future...

Keep smiling and keep your home strong.  Take care.

Okay - copy cats bug me...

Just had to get that off my chest.  I'm talking about movies, actually.  And, not really copy-cats, but people who try to cash in on something, just because they think it will make them big bucks.

Ever hear of the movie 5th Quarter?  Well, if you did, you were probably one of the few.  sigh.  I had heard of it and saw it for sale at Blockbusters going out of business sale, so I grabbed it.  We watched it the other night for FHE activity, and while the beginning was really good, it went downhill from there.  It was emotional, and you couldn't help but cry your eyes out, but the characters were lame after the initial shock.  And it had sooo much promise!!  It could have been great.

Part of it was the acting.  The oldest son was pretty much the focus, and he just wasn't believable.  Andie MacDowell was wonderful, as usual, and the dad...well, he was very emotional but it wore you out to the point you wanted to slap him in the middle.  The way he acted it seemed as if he was handicapped in some way, and it made me wonder if the real father was.  But anyway ---  lame.  I felt like they had made it to try and capitalize on the whole football tragedy thing.   And it ended kind of lame too.  So...hopefully if you were planning on watching it you won't toss it out the window.  Just know that it's not going to be Blindside.

Nuf said.  ;)

I'm done ranting for now.

California Dreaming...

Well...we went, we basked, we visited, we drove (forever) and we're back.  Sigh.  Like I've told the people we ran into out there....I love the ocean and it's the only thing I miss about living in California.  I would never live there again.  I guess I could be tempted though...lol

We split the trip down into two parts, stopping in St. George so David could give grandma the report...  and then we headed to California.  It was gorgeous weather the whole time we were there!  I couldn't believe it.  We didn't even have fog!  Getting down to St. George was ugly...and our daughters ended up spending Saturday  night in a hotel, but the rest of the drive was great.  The condos at Oceanside are great, but I wouldn't recommend the 3 room one...it's too close to the railroad tracks, and I swear they run every 20 minutes...till like 1 am, and then start up again at 5.  We heard those things every night...UGH.

The last day we were there was the cloudiest of them all...this was taken from our balcony on Sunday.  The sunbursts were sooo cool.  My camera just doesn't do it justice.

We tried to get David to show us his mission.  He finally took us to an area south...and it had a really cool beach.  There was a little park on the way to the beach and the walk way had shells in it, and the little staging area had decorative steps.  It was way cool.  There was a lifeguard station just off to the right of this photo, and it was cool.  It had lanterns along a short wall that we would love to put in our back yard.

We went to Dana point another day and saw a couple of tall ships that were docked there.  The gift shop was fun and we picked up some fun items for granddaughters....;)  But what was fun was our last day, Sunday, the same tall ship was headed into the harbor at Oceanside!

When we realized where it was going, we went to the dock area to get a closer look.  It was way fun, and Don really liked it.

We got to visit with a couple of different families.  One great family fed us dinner and we felt like we'd gained treasured friends!

We told them to be sure and look us up the next time they came to Utah.  ;)

We also visited the San Diego Temple...how can you not when you're so close???  This building always looks so unreal...so fantasy to me.

here's the group in front of it.  We actually had one taken just below the spires, but we were in shadow and you can't see us.  ..lol

I just love this photo of Guy...he's so good lookin!

Kristie and Clarissa had fun messing around together.

Oceanside dock was fun...there were two pelicans that were nice if you left them alone.  One shop on the dock that sold bait and stuff had a sign that said they bite stupid people, lol.

This is David looking like a rugged sailor...
All in all, it was a great trip.  Over too fast because we were going the whole time.  we went to Knottsberry farm, (I'm probably not spelling it right...and I'm too lazy to go google it, sorry) and that was fun.  We went mainly because it was cheaper than Disneyland, and it's theme is Peanuts, which is Guys FAVORITE thing...

Here's the group in front of one of the windows.  We stayed till the park closed.  I thought I took more pictures, since we took the camera inside, but I guess not.  I also look like I'm mad at someone...so go figure.  ;)  We had a great time feeding the chickens and roosters in the picnic area.  The kids thought it was funny that there were chickens instead of pigeons and seaguls.

Anyway...so  now we're back and it's still winter... lol   Of course it is.  Brrrrr....

Morning Frost

Okay...when we talk about inversion and the fog associated (okay, more smog, but I don't like that word..lol) there is generally a frost that happens on the plants as a result.  This past January, that didn't happen.

This morning, this is what was outside my windows!

now that's more like it!!  Fortunately, the sun is actually coming out and all of it will melt away, but for now, it's been nice.  Have a great day!

Are you Sure it's not Christmas?

This weather just makes me feel like it's December!!  I drive down the road and think, really?  It's not Christmas around the corner?

Well...it's not.  Christmas is long over and gone, but it sure feels like it's still here.  I'm loving it!!  I guess there are loads who are tired of the white stuff, but we're still way behind on our water levels, so I'm hoping we get more!

My son who just got back from his mission is loving it...at least I think he was...perhaps before he ended up shoveling almost every day since he got back??  lol  He loves it.

Here's to winter!!

And aren't the icicles amazing??  that's what freezing rain does on top of snow.... lol

Snow

I just had to write this down today....I LOVE snow.  I know most people would think I'm crazy, but I can't help it.  I think it's so beautiful the way it sparkles in the sunlight!  We've had smoggy days the past two weeks or so.  They call it an 'inversion'.  It's a nice way of saying we get smog in the winter.  It traps the heat above and the cold below, which makes us actually colder than the ski resorts...which everyone things is crazy.

But, anyway...that makes snow crystals that fall lazily down and it's just amazing.  This morning I looked at the snow outside, and usually snow compacts and becomes almost a solid mass.  Right now it's still powder. I had to take a picture of it and show you how gorgeous.

I even got it where you could see the individual flakes!!  I love my camera...but I think a bigger zoom would be nice.  ;)

Anyway - hope you have a marvelous day.  We're off to get my sons arm/wrist set from him getting it broken on Friday.  Should be interesting.

Tomorrow David comes home though!!!  My missionary will be home in less than 48 hours!!!  YEAH!!  you can't tell we're excited or anything...  ;)