Digging A Hole to China

I have always wanted to dig a hole to China. When I was a little girl, living in Philadelphia, this was a fantasy of mine. I actually believed I could do it. Well, DTA, is currently digging a hole to China. We have water problems in our yard. With two sump pumps operating, and extra wide hoses leaving our house, we still have a terrible run-off problem onto our sidewalk. In the summer it is slippery and slimy. And in the winter it is a sheet of ice. DTA is determined to solve the problem by digging a hole under the sidewalk, inserting new hoses, and having it run off into the street. It is quite a job as the area under the sidewalk is filled with concrete and rock. I doubt if he will reach China, but he will provide a safer walk for our friends and neighbors in front of our house.

The Young Women Leaders of Naper 3

I have the amazing opportunity of working with these fabulous women. We are the young women leaders of our ward. The front row is the presidency...the back row are the advisors. Friday, we had a family barbecue together. Saturday night, we all piled into my van and we attended the Relief Society broadcast together. We have so much fun together. Our love for the Lord and for the girls binds us. And lucky for us, we also like each other and enjoy being with one another.

A shout out for Paula Deen!

My sister gave me a fabulous Paula Deen cookbook for my birthday and this week I tried it out! Y'all, I made her corn chowder and chili-cheese corn muffins! Delicious! My little farm stand is still providing fresh Illinois sweet corn which made this soup even better and fresher! We loved it. Thanks Paula and PZL!

More Miracles in Moca

My Boy had another baptism this weekend in Moca. He baptized a sweet girl named Patricia. At first, he was discouraged to be in this area where they had had no baptisms. Transfers are this Monday and now he does not want to leave. DTA asked My Boy this question in an email this week: "I have a lot of interchange with the young men in the stake. If you were me what would you tell them to do so that they might be a good missionary when they go out to serve?" My Boy's response: "I always say that the best preparing tool for me, was that I lived the gospel. Through my experiences and living the gospel, I gained a testimony and had many experiences or feelings that I can share with my investigators. Through those experiences my investigators feel my sincerity and also feel the spirit because I am teaching to them from my heart". I loved that.

Ah, the Amazing Weeping Willow Tree

When I spent the week with Little D, she brought to my attention the many Weeping Willow Trees which adorn our streets. She was mesmerized by them. On one outing, we counted 17 trees! I have lived here 21 years, and had never even noticed them. Weeping Willow Trees must be interesting to a child. The only tree I remember in my childhood neighborhood in Philadelphia, was the neighbor's Weeping Willow Tree. I remember studying it. I just read that the Weeping Willow Tree can grow ten feet in one year. They are loved for their wonderful shade. I am so glad Little D pointed them out to me. Now I notice them wherever I go.

Ding Dong Ditch!

DTA and I are still holding Family Home Evening with just the two of us. Last night we had a great activity. I baked cookies yesterday and last night DTA and I bagged them up with Fall ribbon and a card which stated, "Happy FHE!" We had eight bags and each of us chose four families to receive our FHE treat. I just love to ding dong ditch. DTA drove the car and I dropped the goods and ran! One time during the evening I exclaimed, "I am having the time of my life!" It was great fun!

Feed My Starving Children Service Project

Saturday morning, my MiaMaids came over for a fun breakfast of pancakes, sausages, bacon, strawberries, orange juice and chocolate milk. Afterwards we went over to the church and met up with the rest of the young women and young men from our church. Our destination: Feed My Starving Children service project. This was the best service project in which I have been involved. Here is the story behind this organization: an executive from General Mills (go, NTG) was traveling in a third world country, and heard a voice say, "feed my starving children". He came back to America and started this organization. (http://www,fmsc.org/) On Saturday we bagged a concoction of rice, soy, chicken flavoring with vitamins and vegetables. After making 36 bags we packed them in boxes. At the end of our shift, we all circled the boxes, and the staff had one of our youth pray that the boxes would reach those who needed the food as there are many hands in which these boxes pass until they reach their final destination. These boxes were headed to Haiti. We boxed enough food to feed four orphanages.

Happy Birthday to....me!

Today is my birthday. Since today is very busy with a lot of activities, my friends took me out to lunch to celebrate yesterday. We went to a great Italian restaurant and ate and talked and laughed. It was a great time. It is wonderful to have such good friends to share your birthday.

Coco the College Co-ed...but is she a true Aggie?

We just loved stepping into Coco's environment for a few days. We could not believe how many friends she has already made. DTA asked me on the way home, 'what was the biggest surprise this weekend?" I said that I was pleasantly surprised to find out how great all of Coco's friends are! These are quality kids...everyone of them! What a blessing to have your child go away from home and team up with such wonderful people. But still, that nagging question...Is Coco a true Aggie? Tradition states there must be a full moon over Logan in order to become a true Aggie. Well, according to the Farmers Almanac, there was, in fact, a full moon hanging over Logan just this past Monday night. So is Coco a true Aggie? I guess only Coco and a true Aggie know that truth.

USU Parent Weekend! Part 4 - A Shout Out to Cousins

When I was growing up, our family visited my parents' hometown, Brigham City, Utah every summer. We usually spent a month there. We spent a lot of time with three cousins during those summer visits. We visited my grandfather's store. We went to Seilly's Snack Bar, the Peach City, the Idle Isle, and to the movies. There was always a trip to Lagoon and a picnic in the canyon. My grandfather had a red tricycle just for me always waiting at their house. My boy cousin, GA, and I were just two weeks apart. Within minutes of our arrival every summer, the adults had us standing back to back to see who was taller after being apart one year. I was always the tallest until we got in high school, and then he passed me up. It was fun to see these cousins in AM's (their mother) football game suite at USU Parent Weekend. My girl cousin, PS and boy cousin, GA were there. It was great to catch up and see the children and grandchildren they had with them. PS still had those beautiful eyes and long eyelashes. She said she had been reading my blog and was amazed at how many similarities we had. GA and I stood back to back for tradition sake. He is such a nice man. It was fun to hear about what he is doing. When I took Coco out to school in August, I met up with my cousin and their younger brother, SA. His son is also a freshman at USU. SA was so nice and offered Coco a place to go for the weekends and he and his wife were handing out their phone numbers and promising her anything that she needed. So today I give a shout out to my cousins! They are wonderful people!

USU Parent Weekend! Part 3 - For My Mom

One of the fun things about having Coco and My Boy attend USU is that this is the school from which my mother graduated. She is an Aggie! She always talked about going to The Bluebird, a restaurant located on Main Street in Logan. It is still there! I always gaze into the windows as we drive by, remembering my mother talking about it. This time, DTA said, "let's go in". It is beautiful. It still has the original soda fountain and wood paneling on the walls. The people were so friendly and as soon as we sat down they were putting those fabulous Utah rolls on our table. We did not order a full meal but opted for mud pie and a strawberry soda. My Boy has been to The Bluebird on many occasions and loved it! I hope Coco and her friends discover it too and remember Coco's Grandma when they order a chocolate soda!

USU Parent Weekend! Part 2 - USU vs. UofU, VIP Style!

Part of the activites for parent weekend was attending the USU vs UofU football game. But the other parents and students did not quite do it in the style that we did it! My aunt, AM, is very connected with USU and a strong supporter and promoter of USU. When she heard we were going to be in Logan for parents weekend, she invited us to join her in the football game festivities. This began with a President of the University, pre-game party! We ate barbecue with the President and his wife and other influential USU people. It was so fun! Then we were escorted upstairs to AM's brand new suite. AM has a glassed in suite which overlooks the football field. It comes with comfortable chairs, programs, a buffet of fabulous food, waitstaff and a flat screen tv. You can walk out a door and stand on a balcony and watch the game from there too, if you wish. We were so close to the players from the balcony we could have dropped things on them. Coco and DTA watched most of the game from there and I went back and forth. Coco would text her friends in the student section and tell them where she was and then she would wave from the balcony to them! We were joined in the suite by AM's family including children, grand children, and great grandchildren, and many of her closest friends. What an adventure! It was so enjoyable to be at the President's party and in the suite. They are going to enjoy this suite so much, especially when the temperatures become frigid. Thanks, AM, for a wonderful Aggie time!

USU Parent Weekend! Part 1

Last Friday, DTA and I arrived at USU for their parent weekend! We were greeted so warmly by Coco that she almost knocked us over! It was so fun to spot her walking the campus with a group of friends. Did I mention the group of friends were all boys? We went up to her room as DTA had never seen it. DTA meet her suitemates and then we were off on a campus tour. It was so fun to see where Coco has classes and experience the grueling M-W-F walk across the whole campus! The campus is beautiful. We were so impressed with all the buildings and especially the library. We ran into a boy from our ward. We met other friends of Coco's along the way. We watched Coco ride a long board! That evening we took a group of 10 friends out to dinner at Cafe Rio. Our first scheduled Parent Weekend event was a lunch on Saturday. My photo is of that lunch. It took place in the ballroom and the university did a wonderful job of decorating and treating us to a great lunch. We sat with some suitemates and parents and another girl from her floor and grandparents. The Vice President of the University spoke and he was wonderful. We had such a great weekend with Coco. We were so impressed with USU. We were so pleased to see how well Coco has adjusted and we loved meeting her wonderful friends. Stay tuned...more photos to follow.

We are M5!

We are M5- Moms of Mighty Missionaries Meet Monthly! Yesterday we reunited for our M5 luncheons after having a summer without them. We all brought photos of our boys and everyone had a chance to give an update on their missionary son. There is laughter and tears shared by all.

I Love My MiaMaids!

Last night for our young women activity, we went to Oberweis to have a little ice cream and to make plans for upcoming activities. The MiaMaids were full of such creative suggestions! They want to make a tanktop purse and trading cards wallet, personalize a journal, do yoga. My favorite suggestion was one of the girls wants to design a MiaMaid shirt made exclusively for us! She began sketching while we sat there and it is going to be so cute and something that will bond us as MiaMaids! I love working with these girls!

Happy Birthday to my friend, JF!

Yesterday was my friend, JF's birthday. She is on the back row, 2nd from the right. We celebrated a birthday lunch for her at a great Italian restaurant. Her sister had sent flowers to her, so she shared a daisy with each of us. JF is known for her original poetry. She is often commissioned to write poems for numerous occasions as we have gathered as friends over the years. Yesterday, she wrote one for her own birthday celebration. Here it is:

I have great friends,
Who came to lunch,
We shared a story or two,
It's wonderful to know there are ladies who care,
And I return the favor to you.

Although our paths cross but once a week,
And sometimes not even that--
We have these luncheons to share our love
And hope that we don't get fat!

But even so,
At the end of the day,
It gives us a chance
To bond and to play.

Quote of the Day

I am reading Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd". I came across a sentence that stopped me in my tracks. It reads: "...some women only require an emergency to make them fit for one." Maybe the word 'emergency' is too harsh. Maybe it could be replaced with 'crisis' or 'unexpected situation'...something like that. At any rate, I thought of how when we live our lives, we are building up reserves and experiences that help us when an emergency or crisis or an unexpected situation arises. It is amazing how a human soul can dig deep and handle many situations. Sometimes looking back on our lives we wonder how we did what we did. Of course, I know it is not by just our experiences that we handle things but also by the grace of God. Any thoughts to share on my quote of the day?

My Boy

My Boy was able to go back to the area where he first served this week and visit with the people he baptized and the members. This is a photo of one of his favorite families. He was so glad to see everyone and everyone was so glad to see him. One of his converts has converted a sister and an other's mother has accepted the gospel. So he is already beginning to see the fruits of baptizing one person and how the chain in a family continues. He sent a little video this week. Please enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me0y4o2LTcQ

Oh how I miss Coco!

It's been almost three weeks now since I left Coco at college. She is doing so well and is so happy and that makes me happy, but oh how I miss her! Coco is a great friend. I miss her comings and goings and hearing all about them. I miss her laughter and her amusing antics. I miss her exasperation at having old parents. I miss her friends. I miss having every pair of shoes she owns living in the kitchen. I miss hearing her text rapidly. I miss watching Project Runway with her. I miss her enthusiasm over so many things. I miss sitting by her at church. I miss her at dinnertime. I miss talking to her about books. I miss her hugs.

Back together again....

Today is the first rehearsal for Friends in Harmony after a summer break. It is always fun to come back together. We have a new member this year and a returning member which always freshens the group a bit. Friends in Harmony has been singing together for 15 years and I am the only member who has sung all 15 years. I love it and I especially love the Christmas season. Today we will be running through our hefty repertoire of Christmas music as well as looking at some new material so we can select our Christmas 08 program. We have already been booked five places!

Happy Birthday, NTG!

To my wonderful son in law: I wish you the happiest of birthdays today! This photo symbolizes the fun we have together playing games, eating fun food, talking, laughing, and just being together. You are the best husband and father to three women that I love dearly. I appreciate your dedication and loyalty to them. I love having you in our family. I hope you have the great day that you deserve. Love you, NTG!

Annie Dillard...where have you been all my life?

I just read one of the most well written books I have ever read. It is called The Maytrees by Annie Dillard. Annie Dillard is a master at simile and metaphor. I would read sentences that would just make me stop and admire the wording of the sentence. One of my favorite quotes in the book was , "she never had the grip to hold a grudge." Isn't that food for thought? I have pondered that character trait a lot since I read it. Another sentence I loved is a wife's description of a husband who has gotten older. "Lou remembered when his forehead's skin was stuck tight as an apple's. She pressed a finger to her own forehead and drew a circle. She was loose in her skin as a rabbit." This book is a book about love, betrayal and forgiveness. It takes place in Provincetown, Massachusetts. I loved it and I can't wait to explore other Annie Dillard novels.

Happy Birthday, Little V

Happy Birthday, Little V! I hope you have a wonderful day!

You are the first of the two little miracles in our family. I love how you love to dance and sing and color and play. You give the best hugs and kisses. I love how excited you get when something fun happens! You are a beautiful little girl and I love you very much. Happy Birthday!