That's all.
I just wanted to say that.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
In loving memory
I’ve been thinking a lot about my dad today. You see, it was ten years ago today that he was killed in a car accident. At the time, I was living in Wisconsin with my brother and his family. Within hours of receiving the news, my brother and I were on a plane headed to Utah. I remember sitting in the Minneapolis airport during a layover, watching all the people rushing about and thinking to myself, “Don’t they know? Don’t they realize that the world was forever changed today?”
In the days that followed that tragic event I learned a great deal about hope, faith and goodness as our family and countless others came together to honor the amazing man that my father was—and is. The bitterness of losing him was made so much sweeter by the legacy of love and faith that he left us. His life was shorter than we all would have liked it to be, but he had no unfinished business. He never hesitated to tell us that he loved us. He enjoyed life and happily served everyone he knew. He taught us the truths that made his passing a celebration. We were sad, but not devastated. We miss him, but it doesn’t make us miserable.
My father was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. I am who I am because of the lessons his life taught me.
My dad was his own man. He marched to his own drum and never seemed to care what other people thought of him. (He did, however, realize that I did care what other people thought so he took great delight in embarrassing me in public. Once as we sat in a movie theater waiting for the feature to start, he suddenly let out a long and loud Tarzan yell—just for fun. I whispered an exasperated “Dad, please!” to which he responded, “Who cares? You don’t know any of these people!")
My dad didn’t care about stuff. Even as a successful university professor he drove an old run-down work truck with a mismatched door and beat up interior. And he honestly didn’t care. He was known to use duct tape to repair everything, including his pants and found clever ways to reuse household items. He understood that money was merely a means by which to bless the lives of others and he was always generous.
My dad’s life was centered in service. Throughout most of my childhood my father was in fairly influential leadership positions in the church. I grew up understanding the importance of magnifying callings and giving of your time and talents. But it didn’t take a calling for him to help people in need. He lovingly looked after his aging mother, coached my brothers’ basketball teams, went the extra mile to help his students succeed and was always available when his children needed him. That’s just who he was.
My father understood the value of work and working together as a family. He was always busy. In addition to his career as a professor, he was a part-time beekeeper; apartment owner, plus we planted a giant garden every year. And he did all of that for us—his children, so that we would have the opportunities to learn t work and to spend time together. He often said, “I’m not just raising bees, I’m raising boys.”
My father’s greatest joy was his family. We knew he loved us, he told us and showed us often. Despite his many responsibilities in life—we always knew we were his greatest priority. He took advantage of little moments to give each of us kids individual attention. He would often take one of us along on errands or trips so that we could get some one on one time. I remember once when I was about twelve he let me skip a day of school and go with him to a meeting in a city about two hours away so we could spend the day together. He took me to lunch at a “real” restaurant and asked about school and my friends and he listened to me. I’m sure if you asked any of my ten brothers and sisters they could each tell you a similar story.
Some days I miss my dad terribly. I’m sad that my children don’t know what his laugh sounds like or that my husband never got to really know him. But more than anything, I’m grateful. Grateful for the example he was. Grateful that he is still ours in the eternities. And grateful for the inspirational and inspired life that he lived.
In the days that followed that tragic event I learned a great deal about hope, faith and goodness as our family and countless others came together to honor the amazing man that my father was—and is. The bitterness of losing him was made so much sweeter by the legacy of love and faith that he left us. His life was shorter than we all would have liked it to be, but he had no unfinished business. He never hesitated to tell us that he loved us. He enjoyed life and happily served everyone he knew. He taught us the truths that made his passing a celebration. We were sad, but not devastated. We miss him, but it doesn’t make us miserable.
My father was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. I am who I am because of the lessons his life taught me.
My dad was his own man. He marched to his own drum and never seemed to care what other people thought of him. (He did, however, realize that I did care what other people thought so he took great delight in embarrassing me in public. Once as we sat in a movie theater waiting for the feature to start, he suddenly let out a long and loud Tarzan yell—just for fun. I whispered an exasperated “Dad, please!” to which he responded, “Who cares? You don’t know any of these people!")
My dad didn’t care about stuff. Even as a successful university professor he drove an old run-down work truck with a mismatched door and beat up interior. And he honestly didn’t care. He was known to use duct tape to repair everything, including his pants and found clever ways to reuse household items. He understood that money was merely a means by which to bless the lives of others and he was always generous.
My dad’s life was centered in service. Throughout most of my childhood my father was in fairly influential leadership positions in the church. I grew up understanding the importance of magnifying callings and giving of your time and talents. But it didn’t take a calling for him to help people in need. He lovingly looked after his aging mother, coached my brothers’ basketball teams, went the extra mile to help his students succeed and was always available when his children needed him. That’s just who he was.
My father understood the value of work and working together as a family. He was always busy. In addition to his career as a professor, he was a part-time beekeeper; apartment owner, plus we planted a giant garden every year. And he did all of that for us—his children, so that we would have the opportunities to learn t work and to spend time together. He often said, “I’m not just raising bees, I’m raising boys.”
My father’s greatest joy was his family. We knew he loved us, he told us and showed us often. Despite his many responsibilities in life—we always knew we were his greatest priority. He took advantage of little moments to give each of us kids individual attention. He would often take one of us along on errands or trips so that we could get some one on one time. I remember once when I was about twelve he let me skip a day of school and go with him to a meeting in a city about two hours away so we could spend the day together. He took me to lunch at a “real” restaurant and asked about school and my friends and he listened to me. I’m sure if you asked any of my ten brothers and sisters they could each tell you a similar story.
Some days I miss my dad terribly. I’m sad that my children don’t know what his laugh sounds like or that my husband never got to really know him. But more than anything, I’m grateful. Grateful for the example he was. Grateful that he is still ours in the eternities. And grateful for the inspirational and inspired life that he lived.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
I'm Drowning in Wheat!. . . or at least I should be
I made a New Year's resolution this year to improve my food storage. I get the "preparedness bug" every few years, so I go out and buy several cases of whatever is on sale and that always seems to makes me feel better. But this time I'm going about it a little more systematically. I've been perusing various food storage calculators to determine what to buy and how much. And today I have spent quite a bit of time pouring over the Walton Feed website trying to figure out what I need and what is available.
Honestly, my findings have been a little frightening.
Did you know it is possible to buy a 25 pound bag of something called "meat substitute"?! And it's available in various flavors? I'm a big fan of protein, but that's just not right.
I also had no idea that there was such a thing as shortening powder. Imagine that, powdered fat. (I've always followed my grandmother's advice: "Never be so poor that you can't buy butter." So I'm going to splurge and get powdered butter. Yum)
And it is recommended that for my little family of five, I should store almost 1200 pounds of grains. I'm all for following wise counsel, I just have no idea where I am going to keep all of it!
I realize, however, that if I'm going to go to the trouble of buying all of this stuff, I need to learn how to use it up. So today I made whole wheat bread. I don't think I've made bread since my newlywed days. (And even then I had a bread machine.) I used a recipe that consisted entirely of food storage items so that I could figure out if I will literally be able to put my money where my mouth is. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. And even more pleased that my kids loved it.
But for the most part, I'm a little overwhelmed with this project. I know that it is often recommend to just get a little at a time, but I'm kind of anxious to make sure I at least have the basics. I figure after that I can slowly work on getting the more non-essential items like cake mixes. Although, if you were to ask my sister she would tell you that cake mixes are essential items--the reason being that if you are ever in a stressful life situation in which you need to depend on your food storage, dang it, you're going to want cake!
(And the last time I was at her house, I counted twenty three cake mixes in her basement)
Honestly, my findings have been a little frightening.
Did you know it is possible to buy a 25 pound bag of something called "meat substitute"?! And it's available in various flavors? I'm a big fan of protein, but that's just not right.
I also had no idea that there was such a thing as shortening powder. Imagine that, powdered fat. (I've always followed my grandmother's advice: "Never be so poor that you can't buy butter." So I'm going to splurge and get powdered butter. Yum)
And it is recommended that for my little family of five, I should store almost 1200 pounds of grains. I'm all for following wise counsel, I just have no idea where I am going to keep all of it!
I realize, however, that if I'm going to go to the trouble of buying all of this stuff, I need to learn how to use it up. So today I made whole wheat bread. I don't think I've made bread since my newlywed days. (And even then I had a bread machine.) I used a recipe that consisted entirely of food storage items so that I could figure out if I will literally be able to put my money where my mouth is. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. And even more pleased that my kids loved it.
But for the most part, I'm a little overwhelmed with this project. I know that it is often recommend to just get a little at a time, but I'm kind of anxious to make sure I at least have the basics. I figure after that I can slowly work on getting the more non-essential items like cake mixes. Although, if you were to ask my sister she would tell you that cake mixes are essential items--the reason being that if you are ever in a stressful life situation in which you need to depend on your food storage, dang it, you're going to want cake!
(And the last time I was at her house, I counted twenty three cake mixes in her basement)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
50 things that make me happy
As promised, here is my list of things I love.
1. my husband
2. my kids
3. my goodly parents
4. date night
5. springtime
6. homemade bread
7. sleeping in
8. scriptures
9. getting email
10. rain
11. bubble baths
12. singing
13. my iPod
14. painted toenails
15. back rubs
16. my courtship story
17. flowers
18. cooking
19. sleeping children
20. Mt Timpanogos (the mountain, although I love that temple too!)
21. watching a great movie for the first time
22. freshly laundered sheets
23. being accidentally gorgeous
24. my garden
25. Family Home Evening
26. my sisters (and I suppose my brothers too, but its just not the same)
27. m&ms
28. eating out with friends
29. fresh fruit
30. Dr. Pepper
31. General Conference
32. my piano
33. love letters
34. my daughter singing songs she has made up
35. our soldiers
36. my soft and yummy bathrobe
37. summer nights
38. fresh cut grass
39. mild to moderate exercise
40. kids playing with cousins (they love their friends, but there is something special about cousins!)
41. Cafe Rio salads
42. my desk (my husband built it into a closet. It is awesome!)
43. family dinner
44. my big porch
45. Bubba's curly hair
46. a clean house (Stop smirking--it happens!)
47. my oldest son's thoughtful questions
48. The 4th of July
49. memories
50. being married
So. . .what do you love?
1. my husband
2. my kids
3. my goodly parents
4. date night
5. springtime
6. homemade bread
7. sleeping in
8. scriptures
9. getting email
10. rain
11. bubble baths
12. singing
13. my iPod
14. painted toenails
15. back rubs
16. my courtship story
17. flowers
18. cooking
19. sleeping children
20. Mt Timpanogos (the mountain, although I love that temple too!)
21. watching a great movie for the first time
22. freshly laundered sheets
23. being accidentally gorgeous
24. my garden
25. Family Home Evening
26. my sisters (and I suppose my brothers too, but its just not the same)
27. m&ms
28. eating out with friends
29. fresh fruit
30. Dr. Pepper
31. General Conference
32. my piano
33. love letters
34. my daughter singing songs she has made up
35. our soldiers
36. my soft and yummy bathrobe
37. summer nights
38. fresh cut grass
39. mild to moderate exercise
40. kids playing with cousins (they love their friends, but there is something special about cousins!)
41. Cafe Rio salads
42. my desk (my husband built it into a closet. It is awesome!)
43. family dinner
44. my big porch
45. Bubba's curly hair
46. a clean house (Stop smirking--it happens!)
47. my oldest son's thoughtful questions
48. The 4th of July
49. memories
50. being married
So. . .what do you love?
Monday, January 7, 2008
50 things that bug me!
Several years ago I began making a list of things that bugged me. I intended to eventually turn it into a cute and clever scrapbook page but since I haven't really done much scrapbooking since like. . .oh, 2004 maybe, it probably won't ever happen. But I think the concept is still valuable. It's an interesting way to learn about someone.
So here is my list, in no particular order and updated a bit (my old list included things like "leaky diapers" and "loud BYU students in my yard" which, thankfully, are annoyances that I no longer have to deal with.)
1. clutter
2. infomercials
3. rodents
4. whining
5. being cold
6. rap "music"
7. public restrooms
8. capers (and pimento for that matter)
9. junk mail
10. inflation
11. stepping on Legos
12. humidity
13. houses built on unstable hillsides (seriously, why do people do that!)
14. Cheeto residue on my fingers
15. weeds
16. B.O.
17. lying
18. long lines
19. static cling
20. food stuck in my teeth
21. mosquitoes
22. car sickness
23. stubbly legs
24. spontaneous combustion (this is actually more of a phobia than an annoyance)
25. the media
26. smoking
27. chalk dust
28. ingratitude
29. crime
30. pimples
31. hiccups
32. children fighting
33. ridiculous SUVs
34. sticky floors
35. spam (the email variety. . .but I suppose the "meat" version as well)
36. freezer brain
37. PBS pledge week
38. cleaning out the fridge
39. nagging
40. winter weather
41. getting old
42. headaches
43. being beckoned by my kids ("No, you come here.")
44. random piles
45. illness
46. dry skin
47. split ends
48. depression
49. sleeping alone
50. my resolution to drink less soda
And lest you think that I am an overly negative person--I also have a list of things I like. I'll post that later.
So here is my list, in no particular order and updated a bit (my old list included things like "leaky diapers" and "loud BYU students in my yard" which, thankfully, are annoyances that I no longer have to deal with.)
1. clutter
2. infomercials
3. rodents
4. whining
5. being cold
6. rap "music"
7. public restrooms
8. capers (and pimento for that matter)
9. junk mail
10. inflation
11. stepping on Legos
12. humidity
13. houses built on unstable hillsides (seriously, why do people do that!)
14. Cheeto residue on my fingers
15. weeds
16. B.O.
17. lying
18. long lines
19. static cling
20. food stuck in my teeth
21. mosquitoes
22. car sickness
23. stubbly legs
24. spontaneous combustion (this is actually more of a phobia than an annoyance)
25. the media
26. smoking
27. chalk dust
28. ingratitude
29. crime
30. pimples
31. hiccups
32. children fighting
33. ridiculous SUVs
34. sticky floors
35. spam (the email variety. . .but I suppose the "meat" version as well)
36. freezer brain
37. PBS pledge week
38. cleaning out the fridge
39. nagging
40. winter weather
41. getting old
42. headaches
43. being beckoned by my kids ("No, you come here.")
44. random piles
45. illness
46. dry skin
47. split ends
48. depression
49. sleeping alone
50. my resolution to drink less soda
And lest you think that I am an overly negative person--I also have a list of things I like. I'll post that later.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Home Improved!
It took us a bit longer than we had planned but our laundry room remodel is more or less done! Those final odds and ends seemed to really add up with this project. We are very happy with how this turned out. Hopefully we're done with major home projects now.
This shot was taken in pretty much the same spot as the one I posted in November.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Tagged
My friend Jen has tagged me to write six facts/habits about myself and then tag six other people. It's kind of hard for me to think of six interesting things about myself that are current. (I've traveled the world and done many interesting things but that was all many years ago!)
But here I go:
1-I am a recovering country music addict. I listened to country music pretty much exclusively during college but now it kind of makes me crazy. I can't stand the annoying twang and heartfelt ballads about trucks.
2-I love to sing. I used to sing all the time but then got caught up in my mommy life and my singing moments were pretty much limited to hymns in church on Sunday. But in the past year I have kind of rekindled my joy of singing just a little bit. I volunteered to sing a solo in church (I believe that every so often you need to do something that scares you to death!), I've done several duets with a friend of mine (including singing at the funeral for a person I had never met), and I sing at home with my kids a lot more than I used to.
3-I am addicted to checking my email. I think I come down to my computer and check my email no fewer than ten times a day. It started last year when email was pretty much the only communication I had with my husband. But even now that he is back I still obsessively check my email throughout the day.
4-I love to cook. I love trying new recipes or experimenting with familiar ones. I don't like using ready made processed foods and mixes--I like to do things from scratch. I almost never use "cream of ______" soup in anything. Recently I have been trying to prepare more healthy foods and have been on a campaign to cut out high fructose corn syrup and MSG from our diet. I am much more inclined to use natural and organic foods these days. Thank goodness there is now a Good Earth store in my town!
5-I like to read but don't generally read novels. I like self-help books (I tend to need a lot of help!) and books about health. I faithfully read the news every morning (including the obituaries) and enjoy reading magazines.
6-I like to watch reruns of my favorite TV shows. I think I've seen every episode of Friends, Seinfeld and Scrubs. (But now that I think about it, I probably just watch these shows over and over because I don't have cable!)
Tag you're it: Emmie F., Annette L., Holly S., Taryn S., Sarah S., Kate S-B.
But here I go:
1-I am a recovering country music addict. I listened to country music pretty much exclusively during college but now it kind of makes me crazy. I can't stand the annoying twang and heartfelt ballads about trucks.
2-I love to sing. I used to sing all the time but then got caught up in my mommy life and my singing moments were pretty much limited to hymns in church on Sunday. But in the past year I have kind of rekindled my joy of singing just a little bit. I volunteered to sing a solo in church (I believe that every so often you need to do something that scares you to death!), I've done several duets with a friend of mine (including singing at the funeral for a person I had never met), and I sing at home with my kids a lot more than I used to.
3-I am addicted to checking my email. I think I come down to my computer and check my email no fewer than ten times a day. It started last year when email was pretty much the only communication I had with my husband. But even now that he is back I still obsessively check my email throughout the day.
4-I love to cook. I love trying new recipes or experimenting with familiar ones. I don't like using ready made processed foods and mixes--I like to do things from scratch. I almost never use "cream of ______" soup in anything. Recently I have been trying to prepare more healthy foods and have been on a campaign to cut out high fructose corn syrup and MSG from our diet. I am much more inclined to use natural and organic foods these days. Thank goodness there is now a Good Earth store in my town!
5-I like to read but don't generally read novels. I like self-help books (I tend to need a lot of help!) and books about health. I faithfully read the news every morning (including the obituaries) and enjoy reading magazines.
6-I like to watch reruns of my favorite TV shows. I think I've seen every episode of Friends, Seinfeld and Scrubs. (But now that I think about it, I probably just watch these shows over and over because I don't have cable!)
Tag you're it: Emmie F., Annette L., Holly S., Taryn S., Sarah S., Kate S-B.
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