What I've Been Up To

It's been a while since I posted so I thought I'd check in. My last post was Thanksgiving. Let's see if I can remember what has happened since then.

1. We attended the Cousin's Christmas Party, hosted at Dustin & Leah's. While, I'm not a cousin, and neither is Howard, we're allowed to come. It was F.U.N. SO fun. I love this family!

2. Work is...work. I'm in my "slow" time and so we get lots of "clean up" projects to work on. Tedious, but necessary.

3. Christmas Shopping. Not so much. I'm not sure if it's the general state of the economy or what, but I'm just not feeling the need/desire/urge to overindulge as I have in years past. I think it's happening all over. But, at the same time, I'm looking forward to Christmas. I always do. I love it.

4. Howard's school's Christmas Party. My husband has been a decorating, shopping, arranging FIEND these past few weeks, in preparation for the Helen Herr Staff Christmas Party. We hosted it at our house. We had 49, yes 49! (51 including us) in our house last night. It was pretty wall-wall, but I think people enjoyed it. The overwhelming comments were about how lovely the house was. I don't brag when I say that, because most of you know that Howard is the one who has done all the work in that regard. And, I do have to say, our house looks stinkin' GOOD!

5. I put together a 12 Days of Christmas package and sent it to Michael. Hopefully, he received it by Saturday. He gets to open one gift each day until Christmas. Now, I just need to get the rest of his "real" Christmas to him.

6. Polar Express! Next weekend, we are going to Williams, AZ for the Polar Express, compliments of Sarah and Tyler from last year's Christmas. What an amazing gift. We're all headed down on Satuday, ride the train on Saturday night, and come home on Sunday. I finally scored some pretty cute PJs that will fit in with Sarah's color/theme coordinating, I think. Got a great, fuzzy robe, too. Unfortunately, it doesn't coordinate with the PJs. Hey, you can't have everything.

7. Christmas Cards. STILL haven't done any. REALLY want to, this year. We haven't gotten to that for the past few and I really don't want to drop off people's list. Just trying to find the time to come up with a short, clever, informative note to include, then take the time to sign them and address them all.

8. Christmas goodie baking. STILL haven't done that, either. This was going to be THE year I was on top of both cards and baking. Yeah. Right! But, really, I meant to. I really did. Seriously. But, we have enjoyed a few from others who are more on top of things.

9. Got really great news from Marsha. After a gruelling year of cancer and treatments and recuperation, she had a scare after another mammogram. But, because of insurance snafus, it took her a few weeks to get the final word that EVERY THING IS OK!!! Just one more thing to be really grateful for during this Christmas time.

10. I found out I DO have a tear in my left rotator cuff which means that surgery is coming...sometime later...maybe in the early Spring. I've got some other things to take care of first. I am NOT looking forward to this. The doctor says it will hurt. And, since doctors tend to downplay how MUCH things hurt, when they say it will hurt, I know it will HURT. And, I'm a big, BIG, HUGE pain avoider. I'm banking on lots of pain meds. I've never had the need to use them much, with the exception of a bad bout with my back about 4 years ago, luckily, but I'm not opposed to them. I figure it's the perks of being born in 1955, as opposed to say, 55 or 1455.

11. Christmas dinner. We have our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. Mackenzie told me that last year, I said, "next year, we're having pizza and birthday cake!". Now, I don't remember saying that, but it's totally something I would have said in the midst of the scramble of getting dinner on the table. So, after discussion with the adult kids, we're doing pizza this year. I'm so conflicted about it. On the one hand, it just seems like one really good, worthwhile tradition going down the tube. But, on the other hand, I think if it makes for a more relaxed, calm, enjoyable time together for everyone, then I'm all for it. I'll report later. Tyler said he was glad for this new tradition. I said it's not a tradition, but an experiment! We'll see.

That's about it for now. Cold has finally arrived in Las Vegas. It always seems to the week before and the week of Christmas. I've noticed that this seems to be the coldest time of year, often. Considering how long it was G-L-O-R-I-0-U-S here, I don't feel like we can really complain. Rain and SNOW?!?! is forecast for tonight and tomorrow. But, temps aren't going to be cold enough for it to stick, I don't think.

I don't know if I'll post again before Christmas or not, but if I don't, I hope you all have a wonderful one. I can't help but love the time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior and the hope he brought into the world. It's a time of evaluating and reevaluating and resolving to make things better. Yep, it's my favorite time of year.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving
I thought I'd post something. All I've had to report lately has been my days at work...boring and doctor appointments. Also boring. So, here's my thoughts on this Thanksgiving eve.

H---I'm happy for Howard in my life. He's brought many great things into it. I love him.
A---Aplenty. Plenty of everything. More than I need of most things. Blessings aplenty.
P---People I love being around me on holidays.
P---Poodle dogs. We have two. They're obnoxious at times, but I can't help but love them.
Y---Yellow Daffodils are my favorite flower. They brighten me up.

T---Turkey=tryptophan! Bring it on, brined turkey.
H---Heart health---no blockages, YAY!
A---Afternoon naps. Gotta love 'em.
N---NOT hitting the BAAAAAAD driver that turned in front of me this morning
K---Kitchenaide mixer...LOVE IT!
S---SO many grankids! Love everyone of them.
G---Good friends. Good. Old. Friends.
I---Ice cold drinks.
V---Vacations...aren't they great?
N---Nighttime. I LIKE the early darkness. I like being home longer in the evenings.
G---Garrards. All of them.

OK, this was kind of lame. But, I'm happy today. I got off work early, I got home and just have the day to get started on tomorrow. We got a nice letter from Mike yesterday. I miss him and know he's missing us this holiday season. I don't want him to be homesick, though. I'm FINALLY starting to feel the Christmas spirit. I think it is the weather today. I love Christmas, and even though it's Thanksgiving, it's a pre-curser to Christmas, and I love it.

I'm back!

I've been off the blog for a while just because there hasn't been much blog worthy. Been speding time at the physical therapist (no real results) and various and sundry doctor appointments for various and sundry issues. None huge, in and of themselves so I won't go into it.

We (Howard and I) went to Idaho for a few days this past weekend for a Garrard "family reunion". That term is used loosely. We did have a good time and I learned some interesting things about his dad and grandfather. I never knew either of my grandfathers as they both died before my parents married. Howard's dad died when Howard was only 8 years old. I SO look forward to getting to meet him. EVERYONE I've ever spoken to that knew him always say the same thing. He was kind, gentle and he loved Howard's mom. He was a wonderful father and husband and a hard worker. From pictures, I can tell Howard looks a lot like him and from what I hear, I think Howard must be a lot like him.

Today is Election Day. I am excited. I think this is going to be a historical election, for sure. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be ABLE to vote. I remember when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. I was 10. It's hard to imagine today that IN MY LIFETIME there were millions of people who were routinely and systematically denied the right to vote simply because they were African American! Crazy. It makes me sad to know that there will be millions of people who will not exercise their blessing of being able to vote. I know people are frustrated and often feel it makes no difference. But, I believe it does.

Anyway, America ROCKS! And, today, I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN, WHERE AT LEAST I KNOW I'M FREE, AND I WON'T FORGET THE MEN WHO DIED, AND GAVE THAT RIGHT TO ME. (Thank you, Lee Greenwood)!

Mothers

Today, in Relief Society, the lesson was on mothers. Not just mothers in general but young mothers and the challenges that they face. I've been out of the "young mother" category for a while now, and now, I watch my kids go through this phase of their life.

Motherhood is hard. Period. It NEVER gets "easy". At least, not in my experience. But, the challenges are different, depending on the phase you're in. The demands of young mothers can seem overwhelming, I know. There is a lot of pressure, expectation, whatever you want to call it. Some of it is imposed from outside sources and some comes from within. Every mother has her idea of what a "good" mother is, and they then try to meet that standard. But, as hard as motherhood is, the rewards are SO worth it. I can't imagine my life without my children and I thank the good Lord that I have had the blessing in my life to be able to raise the 5 wonderful kids I have. And, now, grandchildren are the bonus of all those years. And, maybe I'll even see great-grandchildren.

I think that feeling unappreciated is often the straw that breaks the camel's back for mothers. Whether it's feeling like the kids, the spouse, or the WORLD as a whole doesn't appreciate all you do, that's a particular burden that seems too much to deal with. But, I just want to say that I watch my kids with their kids and I am so impressed. They lose patience at times, but who doesn't? They also are extremely patient at times when others wouldn't be. They live in a permanant state of sleep deprivation. They crave adult conversations. They get tired of explaining "why" all the time. But they do all this. And more. Why? Because they know they are shaping and molding young lives. All they do, they do for their kids and their husbands. And, they reach the greater community when they even find the time and the energy to reach out of their family circle and serve their church and community.

I have been particulary blessed with wonderful two sons in law and a daughter in law that I think are so well suited for my kids. I couldn't have chosen better, even if I had tried. It brings me great joy to see how much my kids love their spouses. And, their kids benefit from that. Which, brings me back to the beginning of my post. It's all about the kids and the mothering of them (not to short change the dads, but that's another post for another time).

So, here's a shout out to the young mothers who wipe, clean up, hush, rock, taxi, discipline, cook, iron, braid, brush, bathe, teach, and play with/for their kids! Hang in there. Believe me, one day they WILL be grown. And while that day seems light years away, it comes faster than one thinks.

Food For Thought

This was posted on the "Word-A-Day" site I've discovered. This is interesting. If every star was a $1 bill...

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers. -Richard Feynman, physicist, Nobel laureate (1918-1988)

The Presidents

PBS has a series of shows on the presidents of the United States which has been WONDERFUL. They don't seem to be in order, and I've probably missed some. I watched the one on Jimmy Carter and I am watching the one on Nixon right now. I think I missed the one on Reagan, which I really didn't want to miss. It's been great to look back on these days that these guys were president. And, it's interesting to see the issues then, compared to now. I recommend the show! Monday nights, channel 10. They're long, though. Usually 3 hours, so you can set your DVR. You can buy each show for $24.99, but the entire set for $129.00 (10 DVDs). Of course, it helps to love history to want to watch them! Thank goodness for DVR, though, because I'm headed to bed. Can't hang til 12:00 with Richard Nixon with work tomorrow!

Sleep Study #2

So, it's 6:10 AM on Saturday morning. I just got home about 20 minutes ago from my 2nd sleep study. This time, I wore my usual sleepwear, which helped a LOT in the comfort level. Plus, the technician hooked me up with a little more leeway on the leads attached to my legs which meant that I could move around and not feel like I was tethered to a short rope. I was fitted with a mask (like an oxygen mask) that strapped to my head, after they hooked up all the leads to me (head, chest, legs, arms). Air is pumped into the mask. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to breathe. So, I went to sleep and as I slipped into REM sleep and apnic events occured, the technician would increase the air flow. The air keeps the airway open. Once I would get into REM sleep, she would come on the intercom and ask me to sleep on my back. OK, I can NOT sleep flat on my back. KILLS the low back, thank you, herniated disc (disk?)! So, of course, then I couldn't get into REM sleep and after several times of going through this, I would just finally roll over so I could get back to sleep. Then, she would come on again and tell me AGAIN to get on my back. It was a better experience than last time, though. I could at least BREATHE when I was on my back, so if I could get my back to not hurt, that would be FANTASTIC! So, now I wait to get my very own, CPAP machine for home. I was really surprised at how quite the machine was. Maybe I'm on my way to not being tired all the time!

Why I like TV

I watch TV and find a lot of enjoyment in some shows. I will most likely NEVER be one of those people who "just don't watch TV". I probably should read more books and one day perhaps I will regret the TV I watch, both the quality and quantity of it. But, one thing I do love about TV (and movies) is a well turned phrase. Now, those of you who know me, know I do love to converse. But, I don't know that I'm particularly good at it. But, sometimes, when I watch a TV show, the writers put together a dialog that, to me, is downright inspiring in the well-put-togetherness-of-the-words. Tonight, I was watching Monday night's "Boston Legal" (thank you DVR!!!), in my opinion, on of the best written TV shows on TV (and I'm sad this is the last year it's on). It presents all sorts of pertinent political and social and legal issues and always shows at least 2 sides to every argument. Here is a short excerpt of a dialog I love because it is EXACTLY how I feel, but NEVER could have phrased it so well...
Denny Crane (ultra conservative) tells his best friend Alan Shore (liberal) that he's surprised Alan owns a gun (Denny owns many, many guns). Alan said, "It's in my safe, at home. I see nothing wrong with THAT. I see a lot wrong with assault weapons; people walking around like you with guns (Denny had been arrested for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit)". Denny said, "I can't fathom a liberal like you owning a gun". Alan said, (and this is the part I loved), "That's one of the problems in the country...there are two camps...those that like guns and those that don't. Why can't there be a middle? Why can't we say ok to guns and ok to gun legislation? Why does it make someone a pinko liberal girl if he supports background checks and bans on assault weapons?"
Someone should make a T-Shirts with that on it and sell them. I bet a lot of people would buy them.

Tagged

My wonderful neice Jerolyn tagged me to do this post. Probably because I've been sadly lacking in the posting department lately. Just seems I don't have that much to write about that I think anyone would care to read.



*Link to the person who tagged you
*Post the rules on your blog
*Write six random things about yourself
*Tag six-ish people at the end of your post
*Let each person know he/she has been tagged
*Let the tagger know when your entry is up

#1. I know the words to a LOT of songs. Older songs, to be sure, but a LOT. People I know at work have commented on how I should go on "Don't Forget the Lyrics" because they are sure I would win. If an oldie comes on, chances are, I know the words to it. And...it doesn't take much to get me to relate a phrase in a regular conversation to some song...and then, sing a line or two of it to show the connection! People don't especially love it when I do that, though!

#2. I hate being splashed with water or getting squirted with a water gun. Even if I'm in a pool. I think it's all about feeling like I have the control of the water. Maybe it goes back to my near drowning when I was 12, I don't know. But, really, DON'T SPLASH ME!

#3. If I make a favorite dish (Red Pepper Stew), I can eat it, breakfast, lunch & dinner, until it's all gone. I NEVER get tired of it. I'm all about making LOTS of something and then not having to cook for a few days. Kind of boring for some, but I just don't get how time of day should dictate what we eat. Chili for breakfast? Why not? Bacon, eggs or pancakes for dinner? Sure.

#4. I've gotten a LOT better about this, but I used to subconsciously "type" with my toes. I will type the entire alphabet with my toes (as though they were fingers). Not on the keyboard, silly, but in my shoes. Or barefooted. Or wherever. And, really, I think it has something to do with why I have a really good typing score! I think the brain connection was made and then reinforced. And reninforced. And...you get it.

#5. This probably comes under the heading of spoiled, but I HATE unloading the dishwasher. I'd rather wash dishes by hand! Doesn't make sense, does it? As a kid, I didn't have a dishwasher and just KNEW if I ever had one, I'd never wash a dish. But, I just hate it. I'd rather clean a bathroom. And, I don't mind folding laundry.

#6. I can't stand the thought of eating escargot. Or Sushi. Or Flan. Or, and especially, I should say, OYSTERS. I could never be on one of those reality TV shows where you have to eat all the disgusting things. I'm glad they aren't doing that on Survivor so much anymore.

I tag Megan, Marsha, Linda B (yes, you!), Sarah, Erin & Stacy.

Michael

Thoughts about my youngest son...

I think a lot of people think that I obsess about Michael and think/talk about him ALL the time. Well, I don't. Really. There are days that outside of praying about/for him, I don't think about him more than a few times. Maybe that's a bad thing, but it's the truth. But, when I do think of him, I have very tender thoughts.

Maybe it's the timing of the mission. He's been out just about 13 months. Long enough to be used to him being gone, but also long enough to really miss him.

When I read his emails, sometimes I'm a bit frustrated because there's not as much "personal" info (feelings, thoughts, etc.) as I would like, but then, I realize it's MICHAEL who's writing. Not the emoter in the fam. So, I'm grateful that he writes as faithfully as he does. I try to imagine him in his daily routine. What is he wearing when he sleeps and gets up in the morning. What is he eating for breakfast? Where is he reading in his scriptures. Does he have a favorite scripture? Do he and his companion get into good Gospel discussions over the scriptures they've read or a lesson they taught or attended on Sunday? Where is he going today? How many doors is he knocking on and are people at least kind, if not receptive? Does he find humor in the situations? Knowing Michael I bet he does! What is he eating for lunch? IS he eating lunch? Did he get mail today and did it make his day because he had a really discouraging one? Is he teaching a lesson tonight? What did he get for dinner? Is he having to eat things he hates? Is he getting things he likes? Does he get homesick?(I hope not). What do the other missionaries think of him? Does he know how proud we are of him and how often we think of him? And so it goes. Now, I don't think all those thoughts every single day. But, I've thought all of them at some time or another.

It's just weird to think of what he'll be like when he comes home. He left a young man. He'll return a MAN. Full of confidence and NOT needing me to tell him what to do. But, I probably will, about some things. After all, it would be a waste to not share some of the wisdom I've accrued, right?! Just kidding. I dont' think he'll find us (the ones he left behind) changed as much as we'll find him changed. Of course the neices and nephews will have grown 2 years and that will be obvious. But other changes, from other people, not so much.

I've dreamed of him a few times and that seems to put me in the "thinking of him more" mode. It's weird, what can I say?

This isn't a profound post or earth shattering in any way. Just some random thoughts about my boy/man that I miss. A lot. Just like I would miss any of my kids who I hadn't seen in 13 months.

Heroes

At Time Out for Women, a question that was asked of the presenters was, "Who Is Your Hero? They all had interesting comments, some said family members, others people from history. That got me to thinking about who my heroes are (is). Sheila Doherty is a hero to me. She is an amazing woman. Fun, full of energy, so totally devoted to the Gosepel of Jesus Christ, GREAT mom and grandmother. Missionary. She, to me, has always been so totally insightful to so many things. It's like she's always where I want to be. She's about 10 or 12 years older than me, so maybe that's why. I consider her the big sister I never had.

Stephanie Waite is a woman I've never met. But, I've read her blog on a regular basis. She's heroic in how she's handling the drowning death of her baby girl, Camille. She wouldn't think she's heroic. But, her willingness to share her experience with the world is.

So, who are your heroes? I'd like to know.

Time Out!

I went to Time Out For Women, today. It was originally scheduled to be held in February, but when Pres. Hinckley died, it was postponed. I went two years ago. It was good, but a bit cheesy. OK, really cheesy. I might have skipped this year, except for the fact that my ALL TIME FAV Gospel music singer, Hilary Weeks was performing. So, I went. Was not disappointed.

Hilary was pretty much the main event. I thought that she'd sing a song, maybe two, three if we were really lucky and then she'd be off. But, no, she was on, off, on, off, on, off...singing every time. Pretty great. She has a new CD out, which I purchased on the spot and she sang a few songs and I was not disappointed. She sings what's in my heart, so often. I'll stop, but I think it's safe to say there's probably not a bigger Hilary Weeks fan than me. The other speakers were pretty good and one in particular, was FUNNY. I saw some people from our old ward and visited with them. It was nice.

Work has been pretty busy, busy. I won't go into it but will just say that it appears that the increased cost of gasoline is being reflected in more students riding the busses. And, we didn't get more busses. So...lots of work for yours truly.

Howard's 60th birthday was Thursday. From what he said, he had a pretty good day. We took all our kids/spouses/girlfriend to dinner at Marie Callendars. We had the little private room and it was great. Great company, great conversation, lots of laughs and good times. I really wanted to throw a big 6-0 party for him, but he threatend mutiny if there was one, or if he even caught wind of one, so I passed. The man just doesn't appreciate a good surprise party!

My brother was without power for 5 days in Louisville this week. Hurricane Ike blew through with high winds for several hours and lots and lots of big, old, trees blew down and took power lines with them. The power company actually ran out of poles replacing all of the ones that were downed and broken. The governor had to call back the National Guard troops that had been sent to Texas to help with the clean up there. But, they finally got power back yesterday.

That's about it from my super exciting, entertaining, thrilling, life for now.

Hmm. Really?

Turns out I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I knew there was a possiblility because I scored really high on the symptoms test. And, I'm really tired a lot of the time. But, when I had the sleep study and they didn't have to come in with the C-Pap machine, I took that as a good sign. But, today, the EN&T Dr. told me I have mild-moderate apnea. I had 10 episodes/hour of not breathing for 20 seconds. And, I had one session of v-e-r-y s-l-o-w breathing that lasted 92 seconds. And, I have a fairly deviated septum which has my right side of my sinuses a bit messed up. I have cool CT scan pictures to show it. This means that while I don't have chronic sinus infections, because of the messed up anatomy, it increases the opportunities for repeated accute sinus infections. Go! Dr. Wahab, because that's what she said. Actually, she said, "I want you to see a specialist to follow up with some tests to see if you have chronic infection that just NEVER clears up or not". IF I want to have surgery to correct it, it will help my breathing and possibly help the apnea, but it's not pressing. It would be outpatient surgery and supposedly not all that painful (which anyone that knows me, knows that's huge, to me). The other option is to have surgery to REDUCE THE SIZE OF MY TONGUE and remove my uvula and take out some soft tissue in my throat. Uh, no thanks! Even the dr. doesn't want to do that.
But, for now, I'll have to start with the C-Pap.

So, the next step is go BACK for another sleep study and get to wear a mask of some sort and have them figure out how high the pressure needs to be to reach optimal results. Yippee. I can hardly wait. But, this time, I WON'T have to try to sleep on my back, which I never do anyway, and was a great waste of time and sleep. After the 2nd sleep study, I'll get a C-Pap machine. Then, after 3 months, we'll re-evaluate.

Catching Up

This week has been a tiring, busy one for me. It's the first week of school. That means lots of work for me. True to expectations, I've been busy. Next week, I have to correct overloaded busses, and get busses to schools on time and fix all kinds of other issues. I'm in my new office and I have to say, it's good.

Howard and daughters and daughter-in-law are in Utah this weekend having a fabulous time at Swiss Days. I've been enjoying the solitude and quietness.

I had a sleep study on Friday night. Just can't sleep well during those things. I don't think anything bad will show up. I had to spend a lot of yesterday napping to catch up on what I missed Friday night.

I have a cousin in Thibideaux, Lousiana ( a town just west of New Orleans) that had to evacuate to northern Louisiana. I have a friend in Eunice, Louisiana that had to evacuate, too. She just had surgery 2 weeks ago! Still has a catheter. Imagine that. The projected path looks like Thibideaux could be hit really hard. The TV coverage is so eerily similar to what it was 3 years ago with Katrina. I'm hoping and praying that all will be well with their homes. Louisiana has been hit hard these last few years. I grew up there and hurricanes have always happened, but they are 1) more frequent, 2) stronger and 3) do more damage, thanks to the erosion of the natural barriers that used to slow them down. Katrina wiped out 200 miles of wetlands, which was nature's barrier. It stinks. Big time. My heart breaks for all the homes that are going to be lost and how lives are going to be so disrupted. But, at least this time, the leaders seem to have learned from the mistakes of the past and are evacuating people and doing things right. At least, better. I just don't GET people, though, who choose to stay and ride these things out. How do you ride out 15' of flood water? In a boat, I guess.

A cousin I used to see fairly often when I was a kid, died Monday. He was 59 and had a heart attack. I hadn't seen him for 30+ years, but nevertheless, when his daughter called me and told me he had died, I was really sad. Selfishly, I think it was because I felt just one more link to my past gone. I had gotten a phone number for him a few months ago and called him and we spent about an hour and a half catching up, and I'm really glad I did. When I saw his obituary photo, it shocked me, because it was like looking at his dad, who I knew well. I feel sad that my kids never knew and will never know any of these people or see any of the places that are still so vivid in my mind. Places I knew well when I was young. I guess that's what happens when you move 2000 miles away and change your religion when you're 19.

I watched the Democratic Convention this past week, saw Barak Obama's speech and liked what I heard. I was pretty surprised by John McCain's pick for a running mate. After 2 years of campaigning, it's hard to believe that in just a little over 2 months it will all be over, one way or another. Gladly.

No Title

I couldn't even come up with a decent title for this nothing post so there it is. No Title.

What have I been up to? Hmm. Work. Church. Sleep. The Olympics. Repeat!

The Olympics have been fantastic and I think I'm going to go through withdrawals from Michael Phelps and the rest of the great team. This is what the Olympics do to me. I get all jazzed up over a sport that ordinarily I care NOTHING about. But, it's only every 4 years, so what the hey!

I went to the doctor today and a quote from him, "your triglycerides and sugars are beautiful!". Yay me. My cholesterol was 156 and he said that was great. Go Lipitor!

I got moved into my new office at work. It's a portable classroom that has supervisors clerks on one half and my Routing & Scheduling peeps on the other half. It's going to be good, I think.

Saturday Howard and I drove to St. George for my good friend Calleen's son, Cade's, wedding reception. It was at a beautiful country club called Entrada. It was out of town and the red rocks were a beautiful backdrop to the golf course. It was fun to see and visit with Rick and Calleen and see their grown up kids and THEIR kids. Mike and Marsha were there and we laughed and reminisced all evening. We drove home that night because I had to be home to come up with a talk for church on Sunday. Anyone want to know anything about Charity? I have lots of info on it! Thank goodness for the internet and Gospel Search. Any talk ever given or written is in there. Pretty amazing, this internet stuff, when you think about it. We get so used to and accustomed to it (is that redundant) but, really? Pretty cool.

We got a brief email from Mike today and what a great surprise. He got transferred last week and we hadn't heard from him, so this was a bonus. He'll write us his normal email on Wed. He's back in Virginia and from what he says, it sounds like he's in an entirely different mission. He says there's a huge difference in Virgina and West Virginia. He's in Buena Vista, but covers Lexington, which is the home of Southern Virgina University, or as some people call it, BYU of the East. Mike got a lot of recruiting from there. He says there are lots of members and they have lots of investigators. He sounds really pumped up. I'm happy for him.

School starts next week, so don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a while. I'm going to be BUSY getting everyone's kids on the busses. OK, not EVERYone's kids, but it will feel like it.

It's Never Good

It's NOT, I repeat NOT a good idea to stay up until 12:10 watching the Olympics when you have to be up @ 5:30. Especially when you have an insomniac-y night and are awake what seems like every 15-20 minutes! It's a good thing that Michael Phelps is taking the day off today and isn't swimming. I need to sleep! Tomorrow and Friday are HUGE days for me at work and I need my brain rested.

When you look your grossest...

That's when something's going to happen, isn't it? I went out this afternoon. My hair was really needing a shampoo and blow dry! I had two stops to make. One, at the car wash, and 2 was @ 7-11. I made my purchase @ 7-11 and when I got in the car it wouldn't start. Dead battery, I guessed. Thank goodness the car didn't die while it was in the car wash!!! I called Howard and discussed the matter with him. Call AAA, for sure, but sometimes they have a truck that has batteries and they'll replace it for you and the question was do we wait for that or just have it towed to our mechanic? We did that a while back, (had AAA replace our battery) in our driveway but, my car engine is built weirdly and the battery is positioned way low, and they guy ended up having to take the wheel off to get it changed and it took him forever. We decided to just do whatever we needed to that would get the tow truck there the fastest. So, there I was, sitting in the 7-11 parking lot with greasy hair and it's hot outside. Luckily, I had enough juice left in the battery to operate my electric windows and I was able to get them down and there was a breeze. And, I had grabbed a soda out of the fridge before I left. Howard was on his way and so I proceeded to do some good people watching. If you need some good, cheap entertainment, sit in front of a 7-11 on a Saturday afternoon and see the flow of VERY interesting people! So, I tried to call AAA and I must have been in a dead spot because my phone kept dropping the call.

Howard arrived, and was on the phone with them. Long story short, AAA showed up, but in the mean time, I realized that the battery was so dead I couldn't get my windows back up. So, if we towed it, I wouldn't have any way to secure the car over the weekend and I didn't want to leave it wide open, parked in the parking lot, because that's just an invite to STEAL ME! So, when Mr. AAA got there, he gave me a jump and, lucky day, it started and I was able to roll up my window. Mr. AAA said he'd follow us to the shop "just to make sure" it didn't die again. I made it all the way, but was waiting for traffic to clear to make the turn into the parking lot and it died again! Another jump got me into the parking lot. So, the car is at the Car Doctor.

The good things in this story are these:
1) AAA. I SO recommend them. They've saved our bacon lots of times and I would hate to be without the service now that I've had it.
2) It was Saturday and Howard was able to come to my aide and follow us to the shop and give me a ride home. Howard and I sat in our cars next to each other in the 7-11 parking lot and had a nice little Saturday afternoon date watching people come and go and visited. Nice in a weird way!
3) While it was hot and my hair was greasy, there was a nice breeze blowing and the sun was not shining in the front windshield. Greasy hair makes it feel hotter, you know. And, I was able to pass the time reading some in the Book of Mormon that I just happened to have in the backseat of my car!
4) We have an extra car, so getting to/from work on Monday isn't an issue as it sometimes has been in the past.

So, all in all, while it was not the afternoon I would have chosen, it turned out to be not so bad!

And Michael Phelps won his first Olympic Gold medal today!

Opening Ceremonies

Did you SEE the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics last night? Or, this morning, as they have re-run it? Amazing. Truly amazing. I can't even explain what you missed if you didn't because it was so technologically cool! And, just now, as I watched the torch be lit, I was thrilled. I mean, I literally got a thrill. Not unlike the thrill I get when I see the American flag in a parade. I think it's all about patriotism and all. But, seeing the torch lit was cool! Now, we get 10 days or so of great athletes and great wins and losses to watch.

I think the Olympics are fun to watch, because even (and maybe BECAUSE) if one isn't athletic, it's hard to not admire the athleticism of those that are. And, the hard work and sacrifice and dedication is inspirational. I have a hard time deciding which Summer Olympic events are my favorite. I do love the gymnastics. I think of our great-nephew Garrett and wonder how he'll feel watching them. He's doing well, by the way, in re-hab in California, thankfully. I love swimming and volleyball and diving. Remember when Greg Lougainis cracked his head? Scary. It WAS Greg Lougainis, wasn't it?

Anyway, I love the Olympics. Don't you? Let the games begin!!!

If you like "The Office" and you want a good laugh...

I read a blog the other day that someone gave this link to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7PHL4HXm1o&feature=related. It lasts a little over 5 mintues, but if you watch "The Office" you HAVE to go to this and you will get quite a chuckle. The last one was the funniest, I thought. Although, it was a toss up. Jello will never be the same to me!

53 Reasons I Love Life

Warning!!! This is a little long. Today is my 53rd birthday. When I was a kid, I calculated ahead to see how old I would be in the year 2000 (who could imagine the year 2000?!!!??!) and remember just being so taken with the idea I would be 45. Well, here I am, 8 years later. Now, I wonder what things will be like in say, 2030. Seems SO far away, but we all know time flies and I suppose 2030 will be here before we know it. Anyway, I digress. I have been thinking lately of all my blessings and things that make me happy. Here are some of them.

1) My family
a) Howard-A funny, hard working man of integrity. I love him.
b) My kids--Smart, kind, pro-active, beautiful people. I tear just thinking of them. I love them!
c) My parents--Not the most ideal upbringing, but it could have been so much worse. And, I got some good stuff from them. I used to think they should never have married and had kids, but then, where would I be? WHO would I be? I think, when it comes to births, there are no real accidents. Not accidents from an eternal perspective. I've also decided it's not what we have or don't have, where we are or aren't, it's what we do with it that matters. All we have to do is do our best, whatever that may be, whether we're rich or poor by earthly standards. That's the big equalizer of life.
d) My sons and daugher-in-law. GREAT people and great matches for my kids.
e) My 11 grandkids. GRAND is a good word for them.
f) My brother, Gary. I love him. He's 5 years older than me. We're siblings for a reason. He's a hero to me in lots of ways.
2) Being an American. My daddy's family came to America before it was the U.S. It was a French colony. My mother's father's family came in the early 1700's from the best I can figure, from England. I love knowing where I came from and wish I knew more about those people's stories.
3) Belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My life changed SO much for the better when I was baptized into this church. While I am FAR from perfect and have much to improve upon, I have learned truths that influence the choices I make and the woman I have become.
4) My home. Not that I "love" my house. I've lived in many houses and I know that I can be happy or unhappy no matter where I live. But, I am grateful I HAVE a house. So many of God's children don't. And, it's a comfortable one. VERY comfortable.
5) Air conditioning. Seriously, living in Las Vegas makes that high up on the list.
6) Food. Really. Part of it is being an American, because in America, there are supermarkets that have a large variety of food. Usually in plentiful supply. I take it for granted. Some in this world can't.
7). Flushing toilets. Ditto.
8). Electricity in my house. Imagine your life without the wonder of electricity. I wouldn't be able to write this here blog without it, sitting in my house with the TV on, the AC on and the fan on, keeping me cool and comfy. Good stuff, electricity. Gooooooooo Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison!
9) Being able to vote.
10) Education. Not that I'm THAT educated. But, I can read, write, do some math and know a little about a lot of stuff. That knowledge makes my life better. Comes from living in the USA.
11) Being born in 1955. Disneyland & I started that year. Lots of good stuff has come along since 1955. Microwaves. Computers. Think about it.
12) Friends. How poor someone truly is who doesn' t have friends. I have good ones, and some of the best ones are in my family.
13) A job. A job I like. Comes with some drama and some stress, but isn't that life? I like what I do and rarely dread going to work. But, I'm totally loving the idea of NOT working tomorrow!
14) Movies. I love a good movie. Now, MY idea of a good movie is this: A romantic comedy, a romantic drama or a historically factual story, particularly ones that are set in 19th century England or are about Revolutionary, Civil War and WWII stuff. I LOVE Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice and, Gone With The Wind.
15) Television. I know, I know, I watch too much of it. But, how can you not like good drama? Gray's Anatomy (good is a relative term, morally, I know!), The Closer and Boston Legal? Those are some shows I just won't miss if I can help it. And, Survivor. And, the Amazing Race.
16). Memories. Good and bad ones. Bad ones help you appreciate the good things in your life and remind you to avoid whatever you can to prevent them from happening again, if you have any control over it. Good ones are just, well...good!
17). Chocolate. I can't believe I left chocolate til #17.
18). Blogs. Really, I can't thank Stacy enough for bringing Blogs into our world. What would I do if I didn't check and read blogs every day? Read some of the great books on Sarah's list??? Well, I COULD... but I wouldn't. I'd watch TV, probably.
19) Naps. Gotta love a good nap. Now that I'm older, I value them more. Probably because I GET them now. Need them, too.
20) Dogs. We have 3. Most days, I feel like that's about 2 too many. We have some issues with some of them. But, I had my first dog when I was 8. They are good and fun and loving and cute.
21) Red Pepper Stew. Family dish...heaven on a plate. I NEVER tire of it and I hope one day, one of my kids want to learn how to make it so the goodness will pass on to the next generation. I fear it won't.
22) Cars. Really, where would we be without them? Traffic and all, expensive repair bills and all, I'll take them rather than leave them.
23) Airplane travel. SUCH a time saver. See, if I had been born in 422 BC, I wouldn't be able to fly in a plane. Good reason to have been born in 1955.
24) Oprah Winfrey. I know lots of people don't like her and some people are waiting for a HUGE skeleton to come out of her closest. I suppose time will tell. I don't think she's perfect, but she's OPRAH. I don't agree with some of her politics. But, she does good things and motivate others to do good things, too. I would like to think we could have lunch and be in the same orbit.
25). Music. I'm no afficianado of quality music. But, I love songs that put me in a good mood. "My girl". "Love Shack". Most Motown. Most Marvin Gaye. Some country. Some gospel, especially Hilary Weeks. I get to see her in Sept. I'm excited because I LOVE her music.
26) Teachers. I have had some teachers that really, truly shaped me. Mrs. Smith (Ms. Bessie) in the 5th grade. Coach Patterson in the 9th. God Bless them all. Well, Coach is alive. Ms. Bessie's not.
27) Genealogy. I love knowing who my relatives are.
28) Needle work. I've done counted cross stitch for nearly 30 years. I've sewn for longer than that. I've crocheted for about 33 years. I'm moving on to quiliting.
29) Massages. A good one is heaven. A bad one is...not. None at all is deprivation.
30) Relief Society. Relief Society is the woman's organization in my church. Lot's and lots of good women struggling to become better. Like me. Struggling, that is, to become better.
31) Road trips with someone I like.
32) Solitude. As I've gotten older, I've come to be more comfortable with myself and not mind, even LIKE, being alone.
33) A good night's sleep. Between medication and who-knows-why, I seldom sleep more than 6 1/2-7 hours a night. But, that's generally ok. But, a good, uninterrupted night's sleep is G-O-O-D.
34) Clean water. Water that I don't have to boil to be able to safely drink so I don't get sick.
35) Scriptures. God's letters to me.
36) Caffeine Free Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper. Not together.
37) Hot dogs. Grilled are best, slightly charred.
38) Lemon cake with lemon filling. My mother used to make it. I don't because I'm afraid it won't be as good as I remember it. It's a totally "feel good" memory of my childhood.
39) Vision and hearing. Life is better being able to see and hear than it would be not being able to.
40) Inlaws. Not the daughter and son type but the sister and brother and mother type. I love you guys!
41) Board games. I LOVE board games, but Howard doesn't. My kids do, mostly, but it's hard to ever get to play with them. I think it's the competitiveness in me. Whatever. I like 'em.
42) Seeing my kids love each other and laugh together and cry together.
43) Fashion shows. Every year, the Sunday night before school starts, we have a family fashion show where the granddaughters come and model all their new clothes for school. So far, the boys have refused to participate. It's good fun.
44) Making foods my kids like. Howard never asks me to make anything special. Maybe he doesn't like my cooking!
45) My closet. I have a walk in closet. I've never had one before. It's a good thing.
46) My BIG tub. I have a shower and a tub. A big tub and when I want to have a bath, I can have one and not be scrunched.
47) Hot weather and sun at a pool or beach. Calgon...take me away! Well, not Calgon, but you get the idea.
48) Health insurance.
49) My dollstone collection.
50) My ruby birthstone ring. My daddy gave it to me when I was 17. Let's count. That's 36 years ago. He gave it to me sitting in a booth at a "Sambo's" restaurant. I promised it to Sarah and one day she'll get it. Two years later, he gave me a small diamond neclace that Erin will get. I just can't say when.
51) Washing machines, vacuums and remote controls. Energy savers.
52) Freshly mown grass. LOVE the smell. As a kid, it used to remind me of watermelon.
53) Missionaries. And letters and pictures from missionaries. Go, Mike!

Well, that's just some of the things I love. If you're reading this, there's a good chance I love YOU. At the very least, I probably know you and have been blessed to have you in my life. Happy Birthday to me!

Blogs!

What is it about Blogs? I have hours of projects to work on, but I made the dreadful mistake of coming in to the office to check email, which also includes checking to see if anyone blogged anything I just can't wait to read and then got to blog surfing and have been here for nearly 2 1/2 hours! Seriously, I'm in trouble! I'm such a lurker.

Best Friends

I've had two people in my life that I can call best friends. One, Linda Welborn, was my BF when I was a kid in Pelican, Louisiana. She was a true gift to me, and I still consider her my best friend of my early years. She and I lost touch with each other for around 30 years and reconnected about 8 years ago. It's been nice to be in touch with her again. She lives too far away to see her very often. I wish we could see each other more. When I'm with Linda, even though our lives are very diverse, I feel comfortable with her and the years just dissolve. Linda had cervical cancer 6 or 7 years ago and is still experiencing issues related to it, though she is cancer free. Life is not easy for her because of it, but through it all, she remains upbeat and faithful. I love her.

Most of you know we went to Idaho last weekend. It was a two-fold purpose trip---the Catlin family reunion was that weekend and I got to visit with Marsha. Marsha is my BF of my adult years. As many of you know, Marsha was diagnosed with breast cancer in November. She began her chemo treatments in January, and just finished her radiation therapy last week on July 23. Her birthday was July 25, so that was a pretty good birthday present for her. It has been a LONG 8 months for her. I have lived this experience vicariously, but I am certain that I only have an idea of how hard and grueling the experience of chemo was for her. I wanted to visit her while she was having her chemo, but I was never able to go when she was in her "up" periods, when became fewer and fewer as time when by. She is an amazing woman and I am honored to be her friend and even more honored that she considers me hers.

Marsha says that she felt the prayers offered by family and friends. Isn't that amazing? I mean, we pray in faith, hoping that Heavenly Father will bless the person we're praying for, but we sometimes don't ever know the direct impact of that prayer on them. We don't always know if they knew we were praying for them. But, she says she felt them, giving her strenth and lifting her up. I'm so glad to know this. I think when we die and go to the Spirit World, that we'll be surprised to learn of the blessings we received in this life because of the actions and prayers of others that we were never aware of. That inspires me to try to be a little more kind and to try to be in tune with the promptings of the Spirit that lead me to do good things.

Marsha and I have been friends for, and this is hard for me because as strange as this sounds, I don't remember meeting Marsha. It just seems like one day she was in my life and I don't know when it happened. She remembers meeting me at church. I believe her, I just don't remember it. It was around 1978, I think. She and Mike, her husband, and Howard and I used to scrape our pennies together, literally digging in couch cushions and bottoms of purses and wherever money could hide, to find the way to go out when we were in our leaner (both physically and monetarily) years. Along with other friends we forged a lifetime of memories---picnics, dinners, lunches, phone conversations (hours long conversations), church meetings and parties, home get togethers, holidays, vacations, trips, deaths, births, weddings and illnesses. And, the memories continue to be made. We've laughed together and cried together. Shopped together and watched TV together. We've seen each other at our worst and best. I hate that we live so far away from each other, but it does make the times we get to spend together sweeter. Relationships like this can't be designed, I don't think. I think they were forged before we ever came to earth.

Friends are a great blessing in our lives. I have been blessed to have great friends.

Highlight of the Week!

We got some pictures from Mike in the mail yesterday. I loaded these in reverse order and can't figure out how to switch the order, so here goes.

This is an example of signs on churches in West Virginia. Nate used to send home pictures like this, too, when he was in Tennessee and Arkansas. We don't see signs like this in the west as much.

This is Mike's companion, Elder Hutchings and outgoing Mission Pres. Cowley. Elder Hutchings is from Riverton, Ut. Mike is training him.

And this is Pres. & Sis. Cowley. They're home now and a new Mission Pres. is in place.

It's so good to see pictues of the boy. Man. I know he's a man, not a boy. But, you know what I mean. He's got a baptism scheduled for this coming Saturday and hopes to be having 3 more in the near future. The wife of the man that's being baptized this Saturday, another man and a foster son of the bishop. That should be a good shot in the arm for Elder Garrard if they all pan out. On the 22nd, he'll be out for 11 months. Somedays it seems like it's going pretty quickly an on others, not so much. But, I know when he's home I'll look back and think it went pretty fast. That will be a great day.

I've been waiting

Until I could post something fun and half way worth reading about and with some good pictures to go with it. But, I have zippo. My life at this point is all about work and collapsing when I get home from work. I have worked SO much overtime already (and not gotten paid for it, BTW). Major deadline looms Monday morning and I worked until today @ 4:45 and decided I'll go in early on Monday to finish up what I needed to do today. I've never felt so frustrated and behind and I feel like I'm never going to get caught up. So, the next time any of you have a kid or grandkid that gets on a school bus, think of me and all the work that goes into having that bus be available to you!

Howard and I met some friends this week at the Balboa Pizza restraunt in The District. GREAT food. I would recommend it. Howard got a pizza that was delivered on a wooden cutting board type thing. I got a salad and wings. They make homemade potato chips and delicious dips (garlic parmesean, french onion) that are fantastic. Anyway, it's good. It's on the back side, sort of like Lucilles. Go there. I think we're about to go check out the Orchard Street Cafe. It's right down the street from our house and I've wanted to eat there a long time and try it out.

Are you seeing a pattern here? I can't believe how much I DON"T cook anymore. I came home last night and told Howard I was hungry (starving, actually) and he told me there were tamales in the fridge he bought from someone at his school. I did make Mac & Cheese Monday. Here we are on Thursday and I'm not cooking tonight and since tomorrow is the 4th, I won't cook then, either. Probably not on Saturday. Which brings me to Sunday when I WILL cook. I feel a little guilty, but not all the time and not a lot. I think it's totally an age thing. I cooked from scratch for 25+ years and now I'm just a little tired of it all. Mostly, it's about time. I'm all about making something that gets me out of the kitchen in a hurry. Rather limiting, to be sure, but it is what it is.

I need to prepare a lesson to teach in Relief Society on Sunday. I've only had 3 months to figure out what the Lord wants me to talk about. Guess I need to get on that.

Well, in spite of no pictures, I posted. I have a boring life, so no exitement. I am going to Idaho in a couple of weeks and will enjoy Marsha's company, seeing Randy & Dan, Taco Bandito and cool weather. Good times await!

Daniel, this one's for you!

I know, this isn't the most attractive picture of Erin, and not much better of Sarah or you, Daniel, but hey, I thought it was a blast to run across it while I was looking for pictures to post on my kids birthday posts. I remember the day well.

Love you!

Alpha & Omega Garrard Kids #2

Can you spell Frustration???!!!! I have spent an hour and a half scanning and storing pictures, only to have half of them not work in the upload of this post! But, today is my baby boy's birthday. Michael is 20 today. I no longer have a teenager in the family. Just like with Sarah (who I posted about just before this) I have a hard time realizing 20 years have passed and Michael has gone from this


To this

and this

To this.

I hope someone in Beckley, West Virginia helped make my boy's birthday a great one and he got to blow out some candles! Happy Birthday, Mike!!!

Alpha & Omega Garrard Kids

This is a day late, but well intended! Sarah's birthday was yesterday. I CAN NOT believe it's been 31 years since she graced our world. To say that she has been a joy is a complete understatement. Now, there have been less than joyful moments, of course, but all in all, I'm danged proud of her and the woman she has become. It's hard to realize that she has gone from this

To this

And this

to this!

I love you, Sarah!

Stressed out!

I have had, without a doubt, one of THE most stressful weeks of my work-life. I won't go into the details, but suffice to say that I had to do in 3 days what normally we would have had 2 weeks to do. And, I'm still not finished with EVREYthing, but have ANOTHER deadline on Wednesday. Fun times, in the CCSD Transportation department in the summer. Good thing I like my job. Good thing, good thing, good thing.

Now, I'm going to take some Ibuprofen, go have dinner with our bestest friends, Terry & Matt and come home, crash and hopefully, enjoy tomorrow. I wish I had a pool. I think I'd float until I was a prune. All the while worrying about skin cancer.

Isn't that kind of like life?

Father's Day

Mother's Day gets a lot of attention, deservedly so. But, Father's Day, not so much. Why is that? I mean, let's face it. We couldn't be mothers without those fathers!

Father's often don't want a big fuss made over them. It's not their style. Usually. I'm sure there's an exception or two out there. We all have in our heads the idea of what it means to be a "good" parent, mother or father. But, I'm STILL looking for the owner's manual that I thought surely would come with the kids I birthed. At times, I'm pretty sure the FATHER had hidden it and/or memorized it. He always seemed so SURE of what needed to be done/not done, said/not said, even/especially when I wasn't. But, I don't think that father's have any more of a clue most of the time than mothers do. They just have to act like they do. And, I think sometimes that's half the battle, right there. I mean, someone has to make a decision and run with it. Time will tell if it turned out to be a good one or not.

Mothers are allowed to cry. Even EXPECTED to, sometimes. But, dads, while allowed to cry at really touching things, definitely aren't expected to. It breaks the man rules. Gotta be tough. Gotta be DAD. I would think though, that that has to be a hard act to carry on all the time. A woman can cry, rant, meltdown and blame it on hormones, nature, Oprah, whatever. Dad's don't get that luxury.

I want to honor all the great DAD's out there on this Father's Day Eve, especially Howard, Nathan, Tyler & Kevin. Thanks for hanging in there, being patient when you really just want to punch the wall, working every day, even if you hate it, because you're the DAD. Thanks for bringing home the bacon, picking up the dog poo, emptying the trash, mowing the lawn, cleaning the pool, playing with the kids and fixing stuff. Thanks for NOT drinking, drugging, or gambling the money away.

Thanks for being DAD.

Family Campout #2 Mt. Charleston

As most of you know, we had our 2nd Big Ol' Family Campout this past weekend @ Mt. Charleston. While it's not as green as one might like, it's high enough to be a nice, cool respite from the heat of the Vegas valley. Some stayed the night, some came up just for the day. But, it was a great, relaxing day and fun, fun, fun.

This is Briggs. The youngest one there.
Mackenzie & Zachary seriously checking out the Palm. Or whatever it was.

I got this shot of Brock. He was all by himself and had just been playing in the dirt. Too bad the sun washed out his cute face. He was serious about what he had been doing!

David and Shana.

Seth had been just a tad bit grumpy and Erin got him to smile. I LOVE his smile.

The day wasn't without it's injuries. This is Sydney's. I think it looks worse than it was. She had such a death grip on that thumb she could have had a tourniquet on it. I'm not sure that's the correct spelling of tournequit, tourniquet, turnequit, t-u-r-n..I quit!

Monica and Erin.

This is Gus. He is cute. He looks just like his daddy did. He is precious.

There were more pictures and I'm sure others will blog/post them. But, I found it interesting to sit and just listen to snippits of conversations. This is a sampling of what I heard:

"Do NOT let him get pubic hair. ANYwhere on his body!"

"You've GOT to come to Scrapfest this year!!!"

"Well, there's new new, but we're still not done with the new new."

"Gosh, I wish that fire pit would smoke some more".

" Now, there's a kid who got his money's worth out of today".

"That's your penalty for not checking that thing".

Now, you know who you are that said these things! Out of context some of them are really funny. Heck, some of them were pretty funny IN context. But, the funniest thing I heard all weekend was this:

"Bifidus regularis? More like Crampus Maximus!"

I doubt anyone else thinks we're as funny as we do. But, this is the BEST family one could be a part of. We rock!

Ah, Motherhood

Today was a great day for our family, as Tyler & Sarah blessed baby Briggs. Another milestone. There have been 11 of these, so far for us. Baby blessings that is, of the grandchild sort. Five of the children sort. They are all special. Sweet, hectic for the parents who have to get everything ready, loud afterward at lunch, especially as the kid count increases. Yet, would I have it any other way? "No way", to quote Brooklyn. It is an incredible blessing to us that we have had all of our kids live in the same town as we do for as long as we have. One day, when I die, hopefully a LONG, LONG time from now, I would wish to do it with all these people I love so much surrounding me, sending me on the great beyond. I don't think I would want to die alone. But, hey, time will tell how/when that plays out and I probably won't get a lot of say in it.

In the meantime, I lurk on the blog of my good friend, Sheila's daughter, Juliana. Today, she posted the column of Anna Quinlan, a journalist for Newsweek. Here it is. Maybe you can relate:


All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. Itake great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the samebooks I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, have all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories. What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations--what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all. Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2. When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were putdown on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow. I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sortsof infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China . Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too. Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When-Mom-Did Hall of Fame." The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. Theday when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, "What did you get wrong?". (Sheinsisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking? But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow ofthe swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because ofwhat I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.

Sunday Morning

I woke up this morning, at a glorious 7:30! That's really sleeping in for me. I had awakened a few times before, but was able to slide back into slumber and LOVED looking at the clock and seeing what time it was. Watched a little Sunday Morning and checked blogs and email.

Now, I've mentioned before my love and affection for the Pioneer Woman Cooks website. Great recipes. But, this morning I noticed a tab that she has that tells "her story". I've been glued to my computer for 2 hours reading her love story with her husband, Marlboro Man. I love the way this woman writes. Her sense of humor, her REALNESS. LOOOVVVEEE it. So, if you need a fun read, you, too can read her story. She has it broken down in installments so you can read one a day (doubtful) if you want. I want to meet this woman!

That's about it. Not exactly a blockbuster week. No big news. I did realize the other day that Michael has been on his mission 10 months. Heck, that's nearly a year. HECK, that's almost half done! He recieved a brand new missionary, straight out of the MTC to train this week. Can't wait to see what he has to say about that next Wednesday, my new favorite day of the week.

OK, gotta run get ready for church. And figure out what we'll be eating today, since instead of going grocery shopping last night as I planned, Howard and I met friends for dinner and didn't get home until 9:30 and by then I SO didn't care about grocery shopping. This morning, I kind of wish I had. Sort of. A little. Not really. If I never had to grocery shop again, I'd be ok with that. Funny thing, grocery shopping. I used to actually enjoy it. It's really not the shopping I hate. It's the bringing it home and putting it away. Yeah, I know. SERIOUS problems in my life, huh!

What have I been up to this week?

Quilting, my friends. I've been bitten by the quilting bug. I've always had it, but it's become more active than dormant lately. Now, for all the really serious quilters in the world, I am SO an amateur at this. But, I've signed up for a class. I've picked up a little along the way for the past 30 years. But, I want to learn the real stuff. So, I made my friend Tammi's daughter a baby blanket for her upcoming baby girl. Nothing fancy, just a tied, pink flannel blanket. I also made a Raider's football quilt for my friend JC a few weeks ago, but didn't get a picture of it. But, about 2 months ago, Seth announced that for his birthday, he wanted an "all yellow blanket with rainbow on the back". Evidently he's decided that yellow is his favorite color. At least fo rnow. Hmm. It got me excited and I was ready to try new stuff. First, I sketched it out on the first piece of paper I could find available. That's how I roll, you know. You might not be able to tell, but I have this bad boy planned out to the INCH.

I got the pattern for the quilt block out of this little lovely publication. It's aptly named.

I bought 10 different fabrics, ALL variations of yellow. In this picture, a couple of them look like they're white. But, no, they're yellow. I made the blocks an "uneven nine patch" from 9 of them and pieced them together with the cat fabric. Can anyone say B-U-S-Y? It's actually kind of hard on the eyes.

Then, I put on the back. It's not "rainbow" per se, but it has all the colors of the rainbow in it. So, I hope it worked for Seth!

It's about 45" x 60".

After coordinating schedules, I took it over to give to Seth this AM. He had had birthday already and was pretty excited. Can't you tell? This is him sitting on the "birthday chair" waiting for his mom & dad to get ready (Erin getting her camera). And, what were they doing?

Playing a HOT game of Halo with Austin! Poor Seth. Acutally, he only had to wait a couple of minutes. He was good. Kevin won by 2 seconds. Whatever that means. I don't do Halo. I do Dr. Mario. Barely.

Finally, after asking ,"what did you make me, Grandma?" he got to open his present. Seeing the front.

Checking out the back.

It got a place on the "chair of honor" and he was generous enough to share with Brooklyn.

And, what good is a quilt/blanket if you can't make a tent out of it and hide under it???

And sometimes, it helps to just lay on something comfy, put your feet up and play with your toys. Whatever they may be. I think it's good to be 4!

Happy Birthday Seth!

Grateful

As part of my job, I sometimes have to go to IEP meetings. Individual Education Plan. For Special Education kids. Transportation likes to have a representative present to help assess with the team of people that makes decisions. Today I had an 8:00 appointment for an IEP for a 15 year old young man that had a TBI (traumatic brain injury). The saddest thing about this kid is that he was perfectly normal kid until about 4 years ago when he was involved in an accidental hanging. I heard later that he was playing around with some friends and things didn't go as they planned and now, he has this horrible injury. He can't walk, talk, or eat at all. He understands quite a bit that is said to him, and has the greatest smile. But, his life and the life of his family has changed in a way that is incomprehensible to me. I left that meeting feeling so humbled and grateful for my health and the healthy kids and grankids I have. Things happen in our lives in an instant that can change just everything.

And, I talked to Marsha today and let me just say this. CANCER SUCKS!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. I have 5 wonderful kids that I love more than words can tell. They were all here at our house today, with the exception of Michael, of course. But, he called home and got to speak to everyone. He seems to be having a good time on his mission and is doing well. He got a fair share of razzing for not writing more, but I'm not expecting the flood gates to open in the letter writing department!

My kids were generous to me. Nate & Stacy gave me a gift of a massage from a therapist they know. Erin is taking me to lunch and a movie in a couple of weeks when we both have time. Sarah and family gave me a book and a gift certificate to Deseret Book. Howard gave me some flowers, made dinner for the kids (Stouffer's Lasagne, a tradition) and a promised gift certificate to Quiltique, a quilt shop I like. I've signed up for a beginners quilting class and I have no doubt that I'll be able to spend it with no problem!

I just want to give a shout out to all the mamas, I know and have known. There is no job or calling in this world that is harder to do well, and most of us, a lot of the time, feel that we're coming up short in the mothering department. Which, ironically, I think, is a good sign. If you CARE that you're not doing well, and worry about that, then you probably are. Its the people who don't care about how they do that we need to worry about! I watch my kids parent and see the tenderness and love they show their kids and are very happy for my grandkids to know that they are coming into families that love them. As a girl, I had only one big desire. To be a wife and mother. I was always afraid that I'd not be able to have children, because my aunt on my dad's side and my mother had difficulties. But, I was blessed. It's easy to complain about our kids, no matter what age they are, and heaven knows I've done and do my share of that. But, the truth is, I would be shattered if I lost one of them and would prefer to have them than to not have them. And, if I do it right, in the time I have left, I know I will have them FOREVER. Can it get better than that? I don't think so!