a note from my favorite author...:)

as many of you know, i have hurt my right hand pinkie and am finding it difficult to do anything, let alone type. the timing of this is especially troublesome because my first semester in school since 24 years ago, started today...

also, as many of you have heard, i had the opportunity to reach out to James Ferrell and share my feelings regarding his books. he reponded, and that is something that i would like to share with you:

Rhonda,

Thank you for sending me your remarkable story. I always stand amazed at the Lord's merciful work in each of our lives. Sometimes, in the middle of it, the merciful gestures are unrecognized. In retrospect, however, they testify of a patient and loving father. I will treasure your story. And what a wonderful thing to have a son like your Taylor, who is serious about serious things. I'm sure that the strength he has received through hardship will serve him and others well on his mission.

Thanks again.

Jim

i just wrote tay and shared this response with him as well. honestly? i'm so grateful that i've had the chance to tell a man that made such a difference in my life, exactly that! it began with my sister Candice, placing the book into my hands and from there, straight into my needy soul.

so, with school and a pinkie gone awry, my entries will be a rare occurance- and keeping up on the blogs you write as well, but i know that you will be supportive and at the same time you will know how much i love and appreciate you.

rhonda

Family, Utah and the Freedom Festival

greetings y'all!

i'm a bit torqued, if i may say. i wrote bunches last night and quit to help emma with something. we got to bed late and at some point the comp powered down and blogger did nothing to save my work.

i hate going back to step one- yet here i am!

i was in utah seeing family the week of the 4th.

being in utah at that time of year is a treat!

we enjoyed attending the Patriotic Service held at BYU's Marriott center. Matthew Holland was the guest speaker, music was generally by the Osmonds, 2nd Generation and the Wasatch Winds Symphonic Band.

additionally, we were treated with bagpipes and an extremely well done, very respectful flag ceremony.

Matthew Holland is Elder Holland's son. He gave a wonderfully insightful talk about Abraham Lincoln- even finding the above photo- proving that AL was a UVU alumni. ;)

k- this blogger/pic thing is driving me crazy! i'll add a photo- it brings it in and places it at the top- which throws all of my dialog off... i'm sorry, but why is it that blogger hasn't been able to let you add a photo to where you are in your text? hum?

moving along...

dad and mom threw a yummy dutch oven picnic for the families, including grandpa stan and charlotte. we had delish dutch over chicken and even more delish dutch oven cobbler :)

we had a surprise visit from david and lisa with their youngest, dakota, and pam. it was great seeing family that i hadn't seen in many years.

one of the many highlights of the afternoon was the opportunity to take photos of the kids while they were playing. love that! andy got a game of football going and at a break in the action i took a team photo. waaaay cute! we had hoped to do fireworks but the weather didn't cooperate- so that was rescheduled.

i have to say- cleaning out 8 dutch ovens was anything but pleasurable- but since it was dad and i, it was fun. we scraped and scrubbed and gagged and...lol... we did a great job of it!


i love my walks up the canyon to bridal veil falls. i only walked it twice during the week- the first one w/my camera. i was more concerned about trying new things with settings than i was about just taking photos- so my collection is a bore to the viewer- but this leaf photo is one that i felt i accomplished the lighting/setting as i had hoped to.

BVF's is a sanctuary to me. i love it- the walk takes effort; it's a 10 mile round trip. but the landscape, the sounds, the smells, the abundant visual opportunity is breathtaking.

another fun activity that takes place 3 days during the week is the Balloon Fest. Dani was able to join us (dad, mom, myself) and we arrived, cameras in tow, promptly at 6:30 a.m. it was educational seeing how the hot air balloons worked- so i took my version of a documentary of the event. i have tons of photos from the beginning of the process through the end. dad and dani are more artistic. that's something i need to make myself do more of :)

we had a fun time and added to that fun by meeting everyone for breakfast afterward. there's always the best food in utah! and i have to admit, that i ordered 2 eggs and dessert: the strawberry shortcake. lol- wow!

i'm going to publish this much before adding another photo messes up what i've been working on. more to come soon!

nearly a month has gone by... ouch!

i was sitting here thinking- nah. i'll write some in the morning... but i just can't put this off any longer: there's too much to catch up on! going back an entire month is not just hard but CRAZY. however, lol, i'll do my best :)

oh- and it didn't help to find out that yahoo 360 was shutting down- yikes! last night i had intended on writing here, along with writing tay's letter, only to find out that i (along with all my family) had to save both em's and my entries on that blog. i did get it done tho! all saved to a WORD doc. mine being close to 200 pages. LOL. and i didn't save everything! i will be backdating this blog with those entries at some point...

mom and dad decided to drive to texas in june to bring me the car that they were selling. while dad was only here a short time, he did get to begin to use his new camera :) we ran around getting the car title changed over to a texas driver (me!), went out to eat, saw Star Trek and out to the river for some family photos. i am SO glad that i have these pics dad: Thank You!!! i'm also very excited about the car- now i just need to unload my mazda. hey- if anyone out there wants a two year lease- i'm your gal! (not me the CAR, silly:) just a moment to say- mom and dad- i love you both so much. and i very much appreciate the lengths you'll go to, to help me and the others in this family. to everyone- my parents ROCK.

mom and i then got ourselves together after a crazy week of my camp/piano schedule (mom is a great camper helper:) and took off for the 2009 Cook reunion in Stephenville, TX. it was great seeing lots of familiar faces and catching up- but mostly we loved the time spent with Grandma and Grandpa Cook and Aunt Bobbie. we talked, took pictures, and enjoyed good meals :)

on our way home from the reunion, we had made plans to visit Woody, mom's cousin and his family in garland texas. on the way i talked her into stopping and checking out the animals at Fossil Rim. That place is so much fun! it's not too far- maybe 90 min's/2 hours but the experience was so entertaining that it is completely worth the effort! while you drive through the park, you stop where there are animals so that you can feed them and take pictures. we giggled our faces off we had so much fun! part of the excitement was learning how close you wanted the animals to get to you. they are entirely comfortable walking right up to your face, with theirs! at first we didn't know this- and i remember saying, 'he's acting like he wants me to pet him!' well, after that i quickly found out that they were happy to eat the feed right from your hands. it was breathtaking being so close to those beautiful creatures. i got fairly comfy with them right away- but mom seemed to like her space and i'm tellin' ya- don't get near her window if she has her finger on the button. she's hilarious! so to share- here are a couple of photos:





mom took this photo of me (in the tye-dyed shirt that i made with emily) and it's my favorite: yes, both the shirt and the picture! i really will always just treasure getting to interact with these gorgeous, sweet creatures!

we did get to Amy's, where Woody and Carolyn are staying, and had a yummy Father's day meal with them while we visited. Woody is not well, but he is better and this is giving them all a chance to spend some quality time together.

so- it's time to stop and get to posting tay's letter. but i will mention some things i will be writing about.

for one thing, em was around but only a little bit because shw was gone to EFY and then to girl's camp. so i'll post some things about that... and then i'll update you regarding my return to school, my chance to teach gospel doctrine this coming sunday, along with the opportunity i have to go on exchanges with the sister missionaries this friday. of course, the biggest entry of all- my trip to utah!

and somewhere in there, i'm going to be visiting other blogs and getting caught up. thanks for your patience and love! see you soon!

what a crazy life!

let's go back to the weekend of june 5-7... this is a pic of me at a dinner for singles. we met at spring creek bbq before heading to a single's dance. i decided to try to enlist participation and fun and i think it went pretty well...! i think my lucky hat game was a hit: if you put the hat on, you were kissed- and of course there was a camera to capture it! i like to take pics and post them on facebook (FB) because i think the more it shows that we're having fun, and the more faces that are seen, the better chance there is of getting people out and mingling.



this photo is from the single's fireside that weekend. our stake was in charge, and jay, my good friend was solo in preparation, so i joined in and worked to make it a good one. in the end we had Pres. and Sister Thurston, and Sis Payne, who is related to Pres. Hinckley there to speak (all pictured) they did a great job of sweet testimonies and interesting insights and can you believe? just shy of 90 singles came! just amazing really! it was so worth the work and i hope that we can continue to build the program around the metroplex.

one of the men i met over the weekend told me that if the program had been as good one year ago, he believed he might not have married so quickly and in the end, be divorced a 2nd time. i don't know- but i do know that this group of people, MY group of people need lots of love in friendships, coupled with uplifting experiences to work through there individual 'issues'.

my next project is to get a temple night started... i'll keep you posted ;)

oh! before i forget- my friend ron rhoades held a b-day party for all the june b-days. this photo below is of me at that party with a new friend and convert jack; what a great guy and just one example of reaching out and bringing in! and, let me say- i really appreciate men like ron who open their homes up for get togethers. :)



so summer camps have begun...wheeee! my first two weeks i've only had one girl. wow- crazy!

and to add to the crazy, we were hit by a storm this past wed. that produced a category one tornado just a minute from my home:



it damaged my large old silver maple in the front and destroyed my huge tree in the back... along with the fence and probably some structural in the patio roof. actually, we were really blessed to only have that to deal with- but it has been a ton of clean up and it's still on-going. sigh. oh well!

i thought that rather than re-type everything that i wrote to tay this week regarding this and other things, i'd just post my letter to him: (oh and fyi, this looks normal in edit but on the blog the spacing is funky. sorry!)

so, you wrote tues and on wed, wed evening, we had a huge storm. actually, a tornado! right on morriss! it was close to the apartments and while it barely made a category one, it did cause some damage. our big old fron tree only has three branches left- and the back tree by the fort is gone completely. we had winds of 60-80 mph- it was crazy. mostly the house is ok, but, they are checking the patio roof for structural damage and the front corner of the garage for the same thing. oh- and almost all of the fence is down.

i was home alone, em was at dad's so i sent a text to him asking for him to get her in a safe place. and i actually sat in the closet! it was really cool tho- i had bro marks, and my home teacher, and bro coombs all at our home in minutes cking up on me- and the bishop called from high adventure! the next day a group of men and boys from the ward came and hauled all my dead tree stuff to the curb. it was so kind of them- i didn't even ask- they just arranged it because they knew i was in need. i felt very looked after and loved, and in sacrament meeting the prayers reflected a people who acknowledged their Father's hand in our protection and the service rendered.

many ward members lost power, too. i only had trouble for a few minutes but there were lots who lost it for days. anyway, the neighorhood and morriss look terrible because of all of the downed trees but for the most part, it is just a mess.

here's a really cool couple of mish stories for you from me (hehe): so- i did arrange to take katy to do baptisms, and she and em and i went to the temple sat afternoon. afterwards we went to lunch and had the opp to talk a little. she just graduated and had plans to move from her dad's to her aunts. katy's mom has never been a part of her life, and currently her dad has a new g/friend that doesn't like that katy was baptized- which is why she was moving. but then the aunts kids got involved and said they didn't want katy moving in because she was mormom...so now katy is stuck. i told her she was welcome to my home anytime- that em and i just hang out anyway. she seemed grateful. then at church our RS president came up and said that she's felt inspired to give me Katy's name for visiting teaching. i don't know what i'm supposed to do- but it feels like i'm supposed to be involved. we shall see! but the temple was awesome for all of us and we're going again as soon as i get back from all the family trips :) we took a couple of pics for you, too!

after the temple i was supposed to go home and try to get ready for mom and
dad to visit. with the storm, i was way behind- because i forgot to tell you that i had the Richards come to our home when i learned that they didn't have power. they didn't stay the entire time, but between that and working, i wasn't getting anything done. but i felt very impressed to go to a baptism that was scheduled, so i did. the sisters asked me to take pictures, and i was, when as we were finishing, a woman walked in that i had met at my camps. she had her son hayden enrolled. we really hadn't talked much until one day she came in late and shook up. it was the morning after the storm and we thought it was because of that- but it turns out she was trying to quit smoking and had a car accident on the way over to us. anyway, tay, she was at the baptism to see what one was like because she wanted to be baptized. i just hugged her and asked her to sit by me in the service. we talked and i answered any of her questions she had. she was like a child in her curiosity and spirit. i then found out that because she is getting a divorce and is in school, hayden will be in my camps all summer long! i told her that we would love on him and i hope that i showed her by by words and actions that i am someone she can talk to and become friends, with. she's scheduled to be baptized on the 20th!

oh- and here's another! you know bryce that came to help at your eagle project with that other guy (can't remember his name! starts with an m... curly dark hair) anyway- he went to high adventure and that's when bishop found out that he is Katy's brother! both of those boys apparently had a good experience going. so stay tuned!

i saw seth- he's leaving soon for hawaii... he said he wrote! yay!

my dad has been here since sat evening. they drove up and brought me that car- so nice of them! dad is leaving today. mom and i will leave for the reunion early fri and return sunday. mom goes home monday. we saw star trek and had dinner last night. we've had some good movies lately! i'm buying the DVDs :) on sunday we went to church, had a yummy roast dinner, and went to take pics.. so more for you. yay!

SO YOU FINALLY GOT THE JERICHO!!! WHOOO HOOO!!!! lol...so fun! k, i heard that you have newsletters within the mission- please save those and even send them home so i can, would you? i'd love to read the old issues! anyway, i'm so happy that the work is going so well and that you achieved that goal! i know that it is still onward and upward but man that had to feel great!

is the baptism still on the docket? i can't wait to hear!

LOVED the story of weed pulling service. i totally have a testimony of service- for many reasons. i can't wait for updates on these stories!

i put your and your comps names in at the temple. :)

i'm glad that there is some fun mixed in with the work. everyone needs to have down time and laughter. so fun that you get to play foosball!

I WISH I COULD BE AT THE BAPTISM- BUMMER! lol...but so glad that you're getting to do one so soon. i'm so excited for paige :) :) :)

it's so cool that you've developed a relationship with pres brady and sis brady. it makes me think of that salesman in mr macs who talked so highly of them. they must be amazing and it's such a blessing that good hearted people go on missions to bless the lives of missionaries and those they are teaching. honestly, i hope that dream doesn't pass me by.

i love you son. i miss you. im so freakin proud of you, too! you're a man that grows everytime i hear from you into a better and stronger man. yes, missionary work is your calling- and you've been blessed to be there at this time and moment. and you are so good at it- but you need to know that Heavenly Father has more work for you to do unpon your return to home. He (and many of us) know that your potential in education is untapped- that you will come back and apply yourself to your future because being a husband and father is the next great missionary work that you will do. when it's done right, just as your exact obedience and love is showing you now, you will be blessed beyone measure in happiness and love. it's really kind of exciting, actually... :)

can't wait to hear from you!!!!

mom
(this post may go down as my longest...!)

these pics are from mom and dad's visit:







we're having a great time! em has now left for EFY and dad has made it back home safely- and mom is watching the news while i'm catching up :)

we're looking forward to the reunion and seeing the family there! more on that, soon.

i think, finally, i can comment regarding my talk. it went well and i'm thankful for the opportunity it gave me to research reverence...some absolutely wonderful things to ponder- so to conclude i'm posting the talk below. read, or not- but here it is for my journaling purposes anyway...lol ;)


Good morning brothers and sisters! I’m so thankful to be here today. I feel that the Spirit has guided me to have experiences this past week that would teach me a deeper respect and understanding of this topic I’ve been given.

Today’s talk is ‘Showing Reverence for the Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament’- and I was asked to reference Elder Featherstone’s talk ‘Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament’. I also looked into the scriptures, and into some things that Bro. Bytheway and Bro. Truman Madsen had to say. There are many amazing thoughts on this subject.

Elder Featherstone offers a scenario: 'Imagine a person has come to sacrament meeting feeling desperate, lonely, and hurting. This person comes a few minutes early, being greeted in the foyer by loving members. He enters the chapel, where there is a spirit of reverence. The organist is playing worshipful music, having arrived early and selected from the hymnbook several pieces as prelude music. The organist might well have prayed, “Heavenly Father, help me to choose hymns that will soothe the troubled heart.”

The person sits quietly for 10 minutes and listens to the music. He can feel its soothing influence in his soul.

The bishopric is on the stand six or seven minutes prior to the meeting. The meeting starts on time. The congregation joins in singing a spiritually uplifting hymn. A thoughtful prayer is given on behalf of ward members and others, and it contains expressions of gratitude, love, and pleading for the needs of the members and others.
A sacrament hymn is sung, and again the Holy Spirit rests upon the congregation. The sacrament is blessed and passed with great dignity, and the congregation partakes, renewing their covenants made at baptism.

Youth and adult speakers address subjects that can bind the broken heart, lift the downtrodden, and provide rest for the weary and hope for the despairing. A choir sings a hymn, or some other kind of sacred music provides an additional spiritual experience for those who have gathered.

The concluding remarks are made, followed by a beautiful closing hymn from the hymnbook. A closing prayer of thanksgiving and supplication on behalf of ward members is given, after which appropriate postlude music is played.

Greatly encouraged, the person leaves this meeting feeling he can make it for one more week. Expressions of love are shared in the foyer or hall in reasonable tones so that the chapel may remain a reverent and holy place.'

I believe that there is more than one person in this chapel today that is here needing this very experience- and the question is, are we doing our part in being reverent for the Spirit to attend?

Brothers and sisters, because of the storm, this week was very chaotic and that’s an understatement. Earlier this month I had talked with Katy and and Emily about attending the temple and doing baptisms for the dead. Our appointment was for yesterday- and when we were in the car, listening to ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ I was beginning to see how excited I was to be headed for the temple. We entered and the quiet peace surrounded us. It wasn’t too much longer that my body, and my mental and emotional self- exhaled and I was ready to inhale the Spirit there.

The Lord has said that while he may or may not be able to remove the storms from our lives, He can and does promise us peace. It is my testimony that this is tied into being in sacred places, with a reverence and attitude for the Spirit to be with us.
I’m quoting Brother Bytheway when I say, our great grandfather’s referred to this day as The Holy Sabbath, our grandfather’s called it The Sabbath, our parents called it Sunday, and today it’s often referred to as the weekend…

Reverence toward the Holy Sabbath and The Sacrament begins with an attitude.

We each came here, today, with a container of sorts- perhaps yours is a cup- and you are barely aware of being thirsty. Perhaps another came in with their cup, but they have their hand over the opening, resisting any filling. Still, there are some of you, that came with a jug, as large as possible to carry…and you are anxiously awaiting a fill.

The temple, our homes, and this chapel are three sacred places that we have to turn to when (amongst other things) we need a ‘spiritual fill’.
There is a primary song that I love- and one that I believe has the ability to teach us perspective in our actions, in our attitudes:

If the Savior stood beside me,
would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments,
and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example?
Would I live more righteously
if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me?

I would like to suggest that if we had walked in today… and saw the Savior waiting for us, our meeting would be reverent and one to remember forever. And in essence, our Savior wants to be among us- with the Holy Spirit- and can only do so if we invite him. If through our reverence we hold out our jugs- our broken hearts, meaning our open hearts, He can fill it.

Bro. Madsen shared this dream in a woman’s conference talk given in 1999: It was in Amman, Jordan some years ago. We had just come from a parched visit to Egypt where even the native Bedouin can survive, at most, three hours without water. We had said to some of our friends, "This should remind you of the two words spoken from the cross, the only self-regarding words which are a sure sign of the loss of blood. Jesus said: 'I thirst'" (John 19:28).

That night I had a dream. I was beaten down to my hands and knees and was conscious of a burning thirst. In the illogic of dreams there was somehow a small cup filled with liquid—an unearthly liquid. It was radiant. It was delicious. It was cool. But as I lifted it to my lips it was as if two hands were placed behind me, not touching, but close to my head, and from them came a kind of throb, a comfort, a warm feeling, and then the miracle. As I drank in relief, the cup filled again and again. The more I sought to quench my thirst, the more it flowed. A wave of gratitude came over me to the Christ—for in the dream it was Christ. My impulse was to turn around, stop drinking, and thank him. But then came the sweet assurance that my drinking was His thanks—that this was what He most wanted—that this was His reward, even his glory, like a gracious hostess, who takes delight in seeing her family and guests eat heartily. I knew and I knew He knew, so I drank and drank until I was full. Only then was He gone.

I loved that Bro Madsen shared this… and as a side note- I will miss him.
Bro Bytheway suggests in his ‘The Best Three Hours’ that we can be measured by a spiritual yardstick by asking two questions:

1.What do you think about in the Sacrament?
2.And, How do you treat the Sabbath day?

If we were to go back to our scenario, where Christ is here with us today, and the sacrament song is now playing, where would our attention be? How would our hearts feel? How would the sacramental prayers be offered? And how would they be received?

Jesus said (Matt 18:20) ‘where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them’.

This was shared by Elder David B. Haight while he was standing in the Last Supper room with Bro Madsen:

This man, shortly before, after a heart attack, had been clinging to life, unconscious in a hospital, and was given a repeated dream-vision of Jesus' last week on earth. He said what he had said in General Conference: "I heard no voices but was conscious of being in a Holy Presence and atmosphere. The first scene was of the Savior and his apostles in the upper chamber on the eve of betrayal. Following the Passover supper he instructed and prepared the sacrament for his dearest friends as a remembrance of his coming sacrifice. It was so impressively portrayed to me—the overwhelming love of the Savior for each. I witnessed his thoughtful concern for significant details: the washing of the dusty feet of each apostle; his breaking and blessing of the loaf of dark bread and blessing of the wine; and then his dreadful disclosure that one would betray him. Then followed the Savior's solemn discourse when he said to the eleven: 'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.'"

Then Elder Haight turned to Bro Madsen and said, "We do not appreciate the sacrament enough. It happened! It is real! It is our access to the Savior."

If the Savior stood beside me,
would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind
if He was never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel?
Would I speak more rev’rently
if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me?

This makes me think that when our Priests kneel at the Sacrament table, in our hearts, we are kneeling too. And just as wonderful as we felt on our baptism, to participate in that ordinance, we would look upon the passing of the sacrament with that kind of joy- because it is a renewal of everything that we believe and love about the Gospel and for what our brother, Christ did for us when He died for us.

Behaving just as we would were He in this room- because he has said: Levitcus 26:2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

D&C 109: 21 'And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall breverence thee in thy house.'

And The Psalmist said, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10.)

We’ve been given a tremendous blessing in having a Holy Sabbath Day. Let us do as He asks, and remember Him. Let’s remember Him as we prepare to arrive and enter the chapel. Remember Him as we participate in inviting the Spirit to join us. Remember Him as we partake of the sacrament. Remember Him in our reverence, always.

lazy bummin' day :)

yep- that's me. i woke up just in time to take em to school- well, we both woke up just in time....lol. (no seminary this week has been sweet.)

when i got home i was so tired, still, that i went back to bed! (just after i ate a slice of two different kinds of Mimi's muffins)

i woke up and began thinking about facebook- and squared that away. tay had sent me a letter with a CD of what he said were tons of pics. i was so excited to look at them- immediately em and i pulled them up to only find 8 photos- which i am grateful for: don't get me wrong! but it was confusing, and yes, disappointing. but i posted the few anyway and wrote about the FHE we had last night.

regarding the FHE...em was finishing reading her LEAP (pre AP)book, poisonwood bible (and no- sorry fans of poisonwood bible, em is not a convert) (and, no- i don't get why)she said that she needed to be left alone. so, i called a friend and we went into dallas to a rehab center where one of our fellow singles is. neal was nearly killed in a bike accident a few weeks ago. today he is paralized from the waist down. we met in a room at the rehab and had a lesson on service. so cool! i took my camera but didn't have a memory card with me- so this photo is courtesy of ron rhoades and his camera/phone. (he's on my facebook and is a single's friend)



i've always loved service...and love hearing stories of service, too. neal's roomie is not lds but wanted to come into our meeting. his accident was 4 years ago and just two days ago he took his first step. he was so excited to share his news! i brought twizzlers (which all women should know are on the top 10 faves for men)and began to share them around. both neal and ricky were happy to get to have some, and we were able to have short convos in the process, and when the meeting was over i left the tub of twizzlers with the two, along with hugs and a kiss on the cheek. i hope to get back to visit. ricky left us with this thought: 'i cannot tie my shoes. because you can, you are a blessing to me when you help me. don't take things for granted'. perception adjusted!

i'm babbling. it's useless at this point to try to make sense so i'm just going to keep on going with the babble presentation ;)

yesterday i had all of my teachers get together of lunch at mimi's. we had such a fun time! i love those women...and their children, too. this photo is of melissa rasmussen and darlene kopta- who were my awesome busy bear teachers:



this is of gail murphy and brandi ehrenberg- the best two year old Li'l school teachers around!



and the luncheon photo of barbi bagan, joana sanders, and brandi ehrenberg who have been totally wonderful in the discovery kids class:



and, that pretty much wrapped up the year for early connections. i've been blessed to work with some very beautiful women that genuinely love children!

back to being lazy. humph. i suppose it has to do with looking forward. i'm not sure where my camps stand- i haven't asked! lol... i will. but currently, i was wondering why i hadn't heard from the college i had applied to. so, today i finally got around to calling them. apparently they were just waiting for my transcript. so that is what i'm doing tomorrow. onward and upward!

may i admit to feeling just a little nervous? about life? everything?

and...

i have a new calling. i will SO miss my sunday school class! what great kids these youth are!



my life just keeps changing, twisting and turning and i never know much about tomorrow. thank heavens for being rooted in the Gospel.

sunday was my last lesson with my class. i had kady, a new convert that i'm going to take to the temple to do baptisms- which we're both so excited about! and then the kids brought another young lady, who had had her first discussion. my lesson happened to be on the plan of salvation. she had lots of questions- and the class understood how important it was to have the Spirit there. they were reverent and testified in their answers to truth. it was amazing. and, i realize that there are more opportunities for me to share the gospel outside of that setting- but i will miss teaching- and them.

i'm not allowed to mention anything more about my new calling- yet. when i can, i will!

and it's time to run and get em.

♥ lots of love ♥ friends and family. ♥

i promise i haven't forgotten you!

it's the end of the school year, folks, and i am under water... but i'm also so excited to be back in touch soon!

in the meantime...check out this dazzling group of women i teach with in discovery kids. they rock! and gorgeous to boot! love them! :) (that's a 'shout-out' to Brandi, Joana and Barbie)

to all the moms

who...

...ran their kids to school (in their pjs) and then had to get out of the car
...are the big jokes when playing video games with the kids
...get everyone to church on time but then notice that they forgot to put a bra on
...who tried healthy new recipies (lima bean casserole) that never really were meant to be eaten
...cried every first day of school
...hunted over the holidays for the most sought after toy
...took too many photos for one occasion and didn't get any of another
...stayed up all night for:
...a costume
...or a science fair report
...or to clean a house
...or care for a sick child
...or because they were pregnant
...or from worry

to all the moms who...

...couldn't decide if it was a laugh or cry moment
...that made impossibilities, possible.
...bit their tongues
...cried in the bathroom
...cheered louder than the rest
...drove endless miles
...who sat in principal chairs
...who sat in doctors offices
...and hospital rooms
...and by gravesides.

to all the moms that i've watched, and learned from, and felt loved by- to those that have loved my children, my loved ones, and those that will someday be part of my family-

i love you! i'm grateful for you! Happy Mother's Day! :)

three generations

new post!

this is so random... i'm writing without anything to say. really! yes, i know... but really.

this is an experiment of sorts- if i just start talking, will it turn out okay? be a disaster? well... it's time to find out!

yes, texas was hit with the swine fly, i mean flu (of course but maybe i'll add leaving in typos just for kicks. or not...too many)this past week. true: that we gave america it's first fatality. true: that we gave america it's second fatality. but in our area, let's say- oh... denton county, there have been just three confirmed cases. and yet, the school districts shut down.

just what is the definition of hysteria?

i was going to ask def leppard- i mean they did put out a song called, 'mass hysteria" but after reading the lyrics... um... nope.

and then you go to websters and the first defintion addresses the woman's womb.

sheesh! and nevermind!

anyway- three days into our being sent home and quarantined, LISD changes there minds and says we're back in school tomorrow.

em spent the last w/e with her dad. when she got back to me we saw 'taken', we went to breakfast, did a little shopping and she had a sleepover. and just like that our quarantine is over. (i hope you're noticing how we laughed in the face of QUARANTINE.)

SUBJECT CHANGE*****

sunday is mother's day and this particular sunday has new meaning for me! YES! you guessed it: elder tay, my favorite missionary, gets to call me! yay! yay! yay! ok. so i'm already having a brain freeze. each week i come across the same worry- what am i going to write in this week's letter? so this week i barely had anything to write about...and now i'm getting to speak to him and i need material! HELP me think of things to ask him. please?

that almost sounded desperate!

well?

(i'm totally laughing)

love you guys :)

r

i'm such a slacker :)

hey, once again, y'all!

i thought about just writing this one thing, well, let me just do it:

i went to the store and saw fish sticks. i never stop and buy fish sticks but this time i did- and fries even! waaaay out of my usual, right? so, one night i decide to cook some of this up because it was getting late after my piano lessons were over and em came home starving.

she took one look and said, 'what are they?'

i just have to say that i was so proud of myself! my 15 year old daughter had no clue what fish sticks were!

i told her they were like chicken fingers- but fish- and to try it, she would like them. and she did, of course... lol

and then i considered ending it right here. what a great note to end on!

but then i began to think about the great SA conference that i attended this past weekend and i wanted to share a little.

the conference began on thursday evening with a dallas temple session. there were so many in attendance that they opened up another session. very cool! i drove out with my g/f lori.

on friday they had a social/dance- met a bunch of new people and had lots of fun. this time i drove out with lindy.

what i looked forward to most, was the saturday workshops. the stake in charge had lined up elder fluckinger, daniel bell, and keynote speaker sis barbara thompson from the relief society general board. we were supposed to have area seventy jim martino but he was given an assignment from slc and couldn't attend- and we were also supposed to have brent yorgason, but apparently he became ill and couldn't attend.

the organizers did a fabulous job of bringing us A-list speakers that spoke on subjects that lifted our hearts and did it with such class and humor that i was thrilled to be a part of it!

i ended up meeting sis thompson and she graciously accepted having her photo with me. what a lovely woman. she was emotional and heart-warming in her stories and advice.

daniel bell is a wonderful speaker. he had us all laughing and the next moment in tears over something that was very spiritual. i hope that you get the opportunity to hear him speak.

at the end of our conference, we were served dinner and then treated to the Texas Boys Choir. it was wonderful!!!

sunday, bro bell spoke in a fireside and i took the time to speak to him, appreciating his wonderful speaking ability. one thing he told us- and i need to remember to tell taylor this, that we need to take our patriarchal blessings and note in three colums labeled: Blessings/Warnings/Personal Commandments.

i was standing with a new friend, tevis, told bro bell about his experience in going home and doing this with his blessing. it was touching to be a part of.

and so...changing subjects!

i'm in utah the end of june, beginning of july. mark your calendars!

love y'all!

Utah, Spring 2009

i wanted to post these ages ago- and didn't because i was hoping to use a new photo format...but, sigh, i just have not gotten my act together!

i had the very best time in utah seeing my family and some friends and Moab. Fabulous!

did you know that i've had two facebook friends see some of these photos and ask if i was at Stan's Drive-In? isn't that fun? would you know the inside of Stans had you not been going there your entire life? i LOVE it!

as usual, time flew by and there is never enough of it to spend with everyone- but i did enjoy the nieces and nephews here and there...my sibs, too! (despite flu and pregnancy) and this trip getting to meet up with Jennifer and Arlen C*, Nancy, Angela, and Jeff.... all long time friends that are a part of who i am :)

i LOVED being in Moab with mom and dad. they are the ultimate travel companions. SO fun! (honestly, i can't believe that i don't crimp their style!)

thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU to all for spending their time, energy and resources to be with me. i just love you!

The Number 1 Lady Detective

changed up to be about me and not about our adorable fictional character in botswana. :)

i've been asked to help a family- a daughter, to be precise, in finding her father.

she lives in Israel, he live here.

so...

after a few moments on the internet i found his name on those sites that if you pay this amount of money... etc., you can have this etc., info- which i won't do!

but sticking to my guns, i looked closer and found a couple of names that kept showing up when his did. i searched out in the white pages and found a phone number for one and dialed.

a woman answered. and she knew the man i was looking for. it turns out that she was an ex wife- but she did not have any information on him, being that she had been out of touch for years and, she included, he owed her money.

to me she was lovely and quite helpful, giving me more names to work from.

i ended up finding the man's niece, her husband, and their two children- but addresses only.

i also was given the man's parent's names- but was told that if they were still alive it would be a surprise, do to age.

and i found that to be exactly true. the man i am looking for, 'E''s parents were 'H' and 'G'. i found H's name mentioned in a newsletter, in a 'In Memory' listing. i called the Rabbi that was listed on the following page.

we didn't speak- but i did speak with his lovely and helpful wife who gave me the info that her husband Rabbi H did do the service and knew where he was buried. i then acquired that info and the following morning gave the temple where he was interred, a call.

contact info is kept, but in this case not a phone number- it is an address.

meanwhile...my head is thinking...

i really did not want to write the man a letter. it seems so old fashioned. and so unreliable! how would i know if he ever received it- or if he just refused to respond?

i thought back to what E's ex wife had told me... she went with him to where the child was living some 25 pluse years ago, only to find that the child and her mother no longer lived there. he was so distraught that he was hospitalized for a few days, suffering from a mental/emotional break down. i can only hope that he wants to be reunited should i be able to reach him!

this morning i sat down at the comp and the array of people that i've been trying to find played in my head once more. if only i had a phone number!

i opened up my facebook and went in to get caught up when it occurred to me that i should try looking there.

i typed in the youngest one's name. found a match and msg'd him. he responded right away- but it was not the right man.

i then typed in E's niece's name- and found a match...looked in her friend's list and saw other familiar names. bingo! i sent her a msg telling her the story.

it wasn't long before she responded. i had found her- but she had lost contact with her uncle 4 years ago...

again, i'm at a dead end- well, i do have an address.

write? say? send certified?

hmmmmm....

Earth Hour

i had heard about this earlier in the year- and after talking to a family member (who shall remain anonymous) who said that earth hour was already past, i felt a bit defeated that EH had come and gone without much notice by the news...and people i know.

said anonymous person was (fortunately) wrong!

EH is: 8:30PM local time, wherever you live on planet earth. Saturday 28 March 2009!

i'm a little late to declare- i doubt my little post will inform the masses...but- if you do read this? turn your lights off at 8:30pm. leave them off for one hour. light a candle and contemplate...and play! what an opportunity for us to be aware and grateful for what we have and this beautiful world that gives us so much.

we should give back so much more. it's one little thing. can you do it?

my 100th post!

and it gets to be about an adventure! one that didn't kill me...yay!

it was an interesting flight into slc....the plane was getting ready to land- we were about to touch down- and then the plane took a sharp nose turn upward- power boost the engines and up we went. ?!? i was sitting on the left side of the plane a few rows in front of the wing, beside the window. i looked at my elderly seat companion and said, 'ummm...trouble' ...looked out the window and watched as we flew closer to a lake and then added while pointing to the water, 'plan B' :)

around me people were appreciative about the humor cuz the tension about what was happening was growing. the pilot then came on and told us that the landing gear was not giving a safe reading. he told us that another captain (riding as a passenger) was going to come through the cabin area and climb down through a floor door (a few rows behind mine) and try to get a look at the landing gear through a periscope. we then watched the captain appear and find the door and then...disappear. meanwhile the plane just circled the area- i'm sure by this time the entire area was cleared for our plane.

eventually the capt. came back out and as he was walking past my row he said he couldn't see anything. he then went into the cockpit to talk with our capt. soon enough, our flight capt came back on and told us that the attempt to see through the periscope had not been successful because too much light was coming in and hitting the mirrors, making the ability to see, impossible. meanwhile, the capt of our flight had flown past the control tower and they, with their binoculars, had witnessed that our landing gear was down and appeared ready for use.

about this time i had turned my phone on and sent a to text mom- letting her know that there was a problem. she is still laughing that all i said was, 'there is a problem with our landing gear'. and then i shut off my phone. she thought i should have said my loves and goodbyes...lol well, to be honest, i never felt that things would not turn out ok- or i would have!

the capt. then told us that they were going to manually put the landing gear down, just to be extra cautious and that when we landed it might drag on the runway making a loud sound. he also gave us other scenerios, such as the landing gear not holding up on the left side (mine) and it that occured the wing would hit the runway. we were told to leave everything under the seat upon landing and to be prepared to exit the emergency exits taking none of our belongings with us. i suppose that meant the big air slides. anyway- we landed and i think collectively we all held our breath to see what might happen- but the gear held and we let out our breath while many clapped for the crews efforts.

as we began to slow down, i noticed the emergency crews that were there waiting for us- fire engines and paramedics- but we must have been perfectly safe because after a moment the plane proceeded on to our gate. we were only one hour late :)

how's that for an adventure? and for a 100th post?

oh when the saints...

come marching in...!

there aren't many great things about being single- but i have to say that being able to attend the single adult firesides has to be on the top of that short list :)

this past sunday's fireside was held in denton- and the subject was 'the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Denton texas 1958-2008.

The sweetest little historian, with a twinkle in his eye, got up and shared what he had learned while writing this book. interestingly, he will make no money from sales- every dollar made is going towards the 50th year celebration that is being held this summer in denton.

many of the stories were humorous and spiritual while at the same time being quite remarkable.

in '58 a sunday school class was formed in the area. it dissolved a year later for lack of priesthood- the families were temporary. at the time there were only two stakes in texas- and the dallas stake had just been formed, the other stake being houston.

fast foward my lifetime...and last year we formed another stake in our area- making it the dallas, lewisville, denton and frisco stakes. none of these stakes include the fort worth area any longer.

some of the notable heroes were the most determined and educated folks of the area, that were converted in the early 60's. one of those families is now patriarch nobles. he was taylor's patriarch because of strange window of opportunity. his family history and conversion is in this book.

i was so excited that i bought three books- one for each of us and had the author, George U. Hubbard autograph each copy!

then i wrote to tay about it and if you haven't read his latest letter home, he responded by saying that he had just (this week) been thinking about the history of the church where he came from...coincidence? i don't think so :)

em also has access to the elieson family conversion and history- and her eventual patriarch elieson is in the book, too. isn't that cool?

i'd be happy to share my copy of the book but if you want your own, it is $15 for a single copy and $11 if you buy 2 or more.

if you live in the area- you'll want to attend the denton celebration. they have all kinds of the old time activities planned, along with some current type of fun. they hope for all to RSVP if they are interested- ck it out: www.dentonjubilee.org
i'm sure that info on the book is there too!

'when your heart speaks, take good notes' - judith campbell

this quote found in the book, Three Cups of Tea, is the story of greg mortensen, a former mountain climber that became a gentle force to change the course of the world.

amazing stuff. unrelentless in his determination and sacrifice to see the smallest of villages in pakistan and afghanistan have access to education for their biggest hope- their children.

greg's heart and life were devoted to this cause following one pivotal moment that to me seemed to be guided by the heavens.

the story was touching and thought provoking!

if you mananged to get through the book- perhaps you felt as i did, that it felt like reading a series of 'parade' or new articles. it wasn't an easy read because of that. but if you have started the book and put it down because of it's writing style- pick it back up and take it in pieces. read it! you will be so glad you did!

*********

yesterday i had the best surprise...tay's follow up email showed up! he sent it on tues the 3rd and it arrived on the 6th. strange but wonderful! i posted his few comments and pics.

i also worked on my backyard...i'm thinking another couple of weekends and i'll have it whipped into shape :)

while i was outside, i was admiring the bradford pear tree that is blossoming. it's truly beautiful right now... and it got me to thinking.

em has wanted to put some pictures on her wall but we've had a hard time finding anything compatable to her colors and taste. i told her that i could do something with photography and tried to describe for her what i imagined but it didn't translate well.

maybe that's because i still needed clarification! anyway- i bought some colorful flowers and butterflies that matched her room and thought of them when i was outside around the tree blossoms.

in the end, em was delighted with the pictures, has chosen her favorites, and now my job is to get them made up poster sized and framed. above and below are two of her faves. :)

it's 15 today! Happy Birthday Emily :)

em's weekend...!

it has been a fun and busy weekend! em's party was great- darlene and lizzey hosted the party at their home and we had a great turn out of friends for pizza, games, and a movie. here are a couple of snapshots:





with emily's bday this coming wed. and it being her night with her dad, along with the following w/e also his weekend, we decided to make this her birthday weekend. to top it off em and i took lizzey and hayden to medeival times for a fun night of entertainment and dinner. the kids are awesome and we had lots of laughs! an additional note- we knew one of the gals that works there and she got us all upgraded to the best available seats. it was a perfect night of fun!





heading into this week i'm looking forward to march...spring is ahead and my coming to utah is just days away...yay!!!

can't wait to see y'all! :)

encroaching upon 100! (95 posts)

Life in the fast lane..............!

really- i've had a bit more time to do things without elm fork and i've enjoyed it a bit, too.

so far- the time hasn't been so much for me. i've spent some time helping a friend of mine- michael (israel) finish up his business here as he is moving to north carolina this week.

things with his partners went south and to be honest- watching this has been an eye opener! i told the police officer that israeli's follow their own laws and seem to be choosy about ours. and i'm not even going into why i had to talk to a police officer- or the rest of this drama. lol.

i failed to write tay last week. i blame it on not feeling well and having a medicine head. i'd say: i'm going to do 'this' and write tay next. but then a new 'this' came into my head and i'm not sure where i put tay. it honestly made me sick...and this time not anything that a med can help with! additionally, my classes had their make-up days last week- the first falling on the day that tay and i exchange emails. i guess it was just too much- it happens! BUT you should see the make-up letter i sent him...it's forever long!!!

if you're not following tay's blog, he's doing awesome. he has several contacts that he's keeping in touch with along with progression of actual investigators. his heart, mind, soul, and spirit are all engaged in serving- i couldn't be more pleased with him. he is confessing a sadness- transfer time is coming up. he's been in the same companionship and member home since he arrived in his mission. his companion has been amazing and the family has been a blessing! so...i'm sure he'll have a heavy heart when he writes this coming tues. stop in and drop him a note (leave a comment) on his blog- he'd love to hear from you! :)

i went to see the family that tay told me about. my friend lindy came along and we enjoyed getting to meet them! we're looking forward to introducing them to the scout leadership along with the bishop next sunday. and, hopefully they will join lindy's family, mine, and the missionaries for dinner a week from monday.

speaking of the missionaries- em and i made cookies and took them all over last week- including the missionaries. i also put a big bag of valentine goodies together that i ended up with from being a teacher. the elders were thrilled! i then had signed up to feed them the following wed. it's been a week of service over here!

finally- em was ranked in school. she has a 4.0 and a 105.00 point average and out of (just shy of) 900 kids placed 97th. i'm so proud of her! that emily is a hard worker, self motivated, and extremely bright. all of that and a 97 tho...i can't imagine what has to be done to move up to number 1. she's taking pre AP in three classes...! lol...oh well, we're excited that she's navigating her freshman year so well!

this week i gained two photography jobs and i'm very excited about them...

and that is the end of post 95. have a great week y'all!

deepak

set up: my yoga instructor has the class in corpse pose (back down, lying flat, palms up) on our mats...listening to the music tape she has started. instead of hearing the normal- this yogi plays a thought- calling it our daily 'purpose'.

most of the time the thoughts are very pleasant and quite thought provoking in the best sense...but this time it is even more so.

a man's voice began by saying that we are part of a ecosystem web of life: the trees are my (our) lungs. the rivers are my (our) circulation. the earth is my (our) body and the air is my (our) breath. that this is wisdom...

it struck me as beautiful. i don't know how many times throughout my lifetime i have felt connected to the world in a deeper way than just feeling responsible and respectful. this thought voiced- even articulated what my soul has known all along.

so i googled it.

to be honest- i almost didn't write this post when i learned that deepak chopra was the man who this came from.

i associate him with the new age...2000 and beyond hippies.

but, i guess i'll fess up! i liked it and it is to his credit!

great things...

sometimes i feel that i really have to sift through my days to find good happenings.

this week has been that- even so, i feel gratitude.

saturday was my last day at elm fork. i could rattle off many reasons for this- but i would like to leave it with that simple statement.

sunday i went to church and was so uplifted by the meetings! we had a welcome home talk by kyle t*. what a great kid! he gave an outstanding talk and i really just couldn't help but look at him and think of my tay and feel such love for these young men who are giving their hearts daily to the Lord- regardless of how their hearts are being received by the people they seek. it's such a lesson to me- and a reminder to me that i can do better!

i then went on to teach my sunday school class. we had all of kyle t*'s cousins join in with kyle's sister in my class- which made it HUGE. additionally, we had a investigator come for her second week. it made for a challenge- especially teaching about the Holy Ghost.

thankfully, i felt guided in my approach and was able to bring their focus in to the Spirit. it felt successful, and was confirmed as i overheard my investigator (kadee) tell her missionaries that she had a great class. the timing was there, so i walked over and hugged her letting her know that i'm open to answering any questions she may have as i teach.

and, a fun thing too! all of those t* kids are distant relatives! we shared that together and the experience helped us all bond together.

i already love that class.

yesterday evening the adult singles had a dinner and fireside with our area 70 speaking, Elder Martino. i had the pleasure of sitting in on a talk before and very much enjoyed the company of my single friends followed by his inspiring talk.

tomorrow i look forward to hearing from tay. it's all i think about starting the sunday before. :)

i'm going to visit the family that he asked me to go see tomorrow, being that they have not contacted me. pray for a good outcome!

thank you to my friends and family... your love and support mean everything to me and our little family!

such a FUN thing!

tonight i received a phone call from a strange number- ringing in from california. i answered and was blown away to learn that a family from tay's mission had called me to talk about tay!

they had just had our elder and elder murley over to a lasagna dinner (per the boys request) and when it became time to go (they were supporting another companionships baptism tonight), bro. krause told the elders that if they wanted, he would call and talk to their families after they left for the baptism. :) :) :) :)

how fun is that?!?

what a sweet man bro krause was to think to do that. so- he mentioned (and i have to paraphrase because of my silly emotional memory) what a good elder tay was... how he could really see how tay would be flying after the awesome training he was getting from elder murley...what a great team they were...how awesome in general tay is, (and during the convo bro. krauses 15 year old daughter was being silly in the background)and that the boys worked hard and were impressive. he seemed to really enjoy our tay- and the family has had them over for dinner 3 times already. he also spoke of their tight ward, and how they really cared and looked out for their missionaries. the krause family has an elder in idaho, 5 months now.

it's just such good karma...and loving thy neighbor...!

i'm feeding our missionaries on the 18th of this month- and really looking forward to it!

okay- so i finally posted some pics to go with our 'big' ice storm. it doesn't look in the least bit dangerous to me. all my friends took their kids out to the malls and such... i mean, what do you think?

there were more accidents than they could count from this. oh well! the funniest part of all is that this was just last tues and wed. and then on fri we were back to 70's and enjoying gorgeous weather yesterday and today, too !!!!

a note to dad...it's never to late to stop in and leave a comment. i LOVE to hear from you!

iced in and...he wrote, he wrote, he wrote!

yes, this is the serious ice storm...




that closed us down for 2 days...



this is the best picture of ice that i could find...

i'm not a meteorologist- don't even know if i spelled it correctly- but i don't get freezing rain. it just seems that if it is cold enough, and there is precipitation falling...that it should be SNOW- not ice chips! (incredibly- 500 reported accidents today because of the icy roads) anyway...em and i had a happy day of being 'iced' in. we made brownies, played facebook scrabble, and watched american idol to enjoy the time away :)(also cleaned out a closet- i seriously have more bath and body products than anyone else other than bath and body!)

oh! and happily enough, em is going to EFY! she'll attend the denton location.

also...

i've posted tay's 10th letter and a new pic of him and his companion- and i'm hoping that i can get the other photos in a day or so...!

my new sunday calling...!

the first i became aware that i hadn't told you about my new sunday calling (job)was in a comment dani left-

i am the new sunday school teacher for the juniors and seniors in high school!

these kids are friends of taylor's and it is fun to be in there with them. :)

i look forward to the studying that goes into teaching the subject- but also the interaction with these kids, and the opportunity to share some the happenings with taylor.

this week at church, two of our missionaries are returning. one came back friday and the other will join his mom in utah, where she moved just over a year ago. patti was our women's leader and as a single mom (widow) did a fantastic job as relief society president. i am now happy to announce that she is also engaged! i'm so happy for her- and the funny thing about that is- it's taken me three (plus) years to get over the feeling like i couldn't breath when one of my single friends announced that they were getting married!

i feel sorry for the friends i let down with my paranoia. yikes!

also, dani asked what play was em in- emily was in theatre for her first semester and as a 'final' the classes were required to perform mini-logues. the one that em performed was a comedy- and one of the few that received consistant laughing. she had a girl partner and together they were perfectly cute.



forgive me for not mentioning it earlier- em put the big 'kabosh' on it and wouldn't let me tell anyone (this included her father) but then at the last moment lizzie arrived and sat with me. they are such good friends!

em started new classes this past week. her leap started up and she's into big reading- jane eyre, along with chinese cinderella and soon to follow, poisonwood bible.

i'm keeping three cups of tea bedside, hoping to get some of it read here and there!

this week proves to be short on news and long on work hours. i'm working next sunday, so it becomes one of my marathon stretches...13 days straight.

i'll be posting from tay as soon as i hear from him.

your comments are so much appreciated! thank you, thank you, thank you!

distractions!

i probably have had more time to write... okay, i KNOW i've had more time to write, but i've had a few distractions.

the biggest culprit has been FACEBOOK.

it's been absolutely wonderful to meet up with friends from the highschool days- and friends that i've known that have moved away.

and it's a bit of a silly place too- interactive, so it is rewarding to spend time there.

BUT my first love is blogger and i'm going to do better by it!

distractions... it seems elder barron had a few the last week- but they were good ones. he wrote people that have been hoping for a letter and i'm okay with going without so that others could have the opportunity.

HOWEVER... he will read a note from me today letting him know that next time he had better at least send a line explaining his plan so that i need not worry or ck my email 40 times looking for word from my 'favorite missionary'!

so- i was very excited for my photograph of scott to be used in his upcoming 'raw and wild' tv debut. he brought the poster in, unrolled it, and i immediately knew that it wasn't my pic. apparently they pulled one off from his website that wasn't a 'happy' scott, but rather a 'serious' scott. true- we didn't take any of him being so intent.

people who didn't know about me and the photo made comments about his pic- and they weren't kind about the expression he has- so i guess a small part of me thinks they made a judgement error...lol

BUT i discovered this week while watching a instructional shooting DVD that several of my photos were in it and i was asked to give them my info to be included in the credits. the DVD is called, 'Lipstick and Lead'...starring jeanie! fun!

and hopefully that last little tid bit was entertaining enough to read that you forgot that you were 'distracted' from the 'distraction' theme of this post so that i can remain on the thread i intended.

tay should write today.

and really- all this distraction thought is rhonda trying to click the time down until i hear from him again.

thank you for being that distraction!

you lovable distractions, you... lol

i'm not sure this is worthy

of being my 88th post but it's all i've got:

elder barron stiffed me this week!!!

and he stiffed his dad...

< HOWEVER >

em received one- good of him bcuz (texting mania creeping in) at least we know he's alive!

ergggghhh

my usual weirdness!

this week has been filled with activity- school started up again for both em and i... seminary is it's happy little 6am self... jeanie (elm fork) has said she misses my assistance and has asked me to help whenever i can...5 guys that have wanted to get together with me have stopped texting me about it...my christmas tree is 'tagged' for tomorrow...michael is leaving for israel...and that has me doing google searches on more israel history.

in less than 12 hours i had three different references to israel's 6 day war fall in my lap. k- i'm not jewish, haven't taken any history courses on the subject, and have no other ties to israel other than what we're taught from the bible. therefore, the 6 day war was new stuff to me. i was a year and a half old when it happened, june 1967. so, not a huge surprise, but even so, the story is remarkable enough that i can't believe if i did hear about it that i didn't pay any attention to it.

oh, and it's only called the '6 day war' by the israeli's- the other countries involved have their own names for it, while the syrians who were also involved have absolutely no reference to it in any of their writings.

strange stuff!

anyway, i'm rambling. the point is- what happened in those 6 days is what makes up the dynamics for what is happening today.

when i read the news reports of tens of thousands protestors in france, barcelona, sweden, lebanon, milan, florence, venice...all against israel fighting gaza- well, i couldn't believe it.

my curiosity is piqued. i don't get it. what am i missing???

i'm back to my research. articles on the net...might pick up a book by michael b. oren (history phd, american jew who moved to israel with his family as a teen and has an extensive army history. remember when i mentioned that all 18 year olds are required to serve three years? that service is required for one month out of every year following until the age of 42! there are many non jews that live in israel that volunteer for that same commitment)...and channel surfing last night brought up cspan history and a book review. maybe they'll have more.

if you have anything to comment on to help me out...please do!