Snow

Rose posted a picture on Facebook today showing the first snowfall in Bear Lake! All I can say is I AM SO GLAD I DON'T LIVE THERE!!!!! It has been in the 70's this past week and I feel as if I'm about to freeze 1/2 to death! My dad asks every once in awhile if I would ever consider moving back to Salt Lake and I emphatically tell him--- NO WAY HOSEA!!!! You guys have snow! I think snow is nice to visit for a few days but ohhhh (shudder) not to live in! Could you imagine- winter parka's, snow boots and gloves EVERY time you went out? Or shoveling the walks or scraping windshields or DRIVING in it? Bleh! I cant even bring myself to have the slightest inclination of wanting to experience that. I will just stay here in my nice weather city! I will wear jackets instead of parkas. I will keep my windows open and enjoy much warmer temperatures!

Our Bishop

We have the BEST Bishop ever! I am pretty sure he is my all time favorite bishop of ever. When I was the YW President in our ward I was so impressed with how much he loves the youth and does everything in his power to help them understand that. Everything. He truly knows what is going on in each of their lives. He values their opinions and they know that. But the thing that really made him my favorite was one time I went in for a PPI and he asked if we could start off with a prayer. Of course we could. He asked if I cared if he said it. Of course not. Then he began to pray. But is wasn't just a prayer. It was a prayer for me, for my family and for my calling. It was a prayer of him pleading for the powers of heaven to be with me. To help give me strength. I was in tears before he finished. I could feel the Spirit and the love my bishop had for me. I am pretty sure that if Bishop Piet asked anything of me- I would do it, no questions asked. Anything. Walk on coals? You got it! Sell my house and move to Timbucktoo- OK. Anything. I know he was called to this calling by the Lord. He is there to help those of us in his ward, under his stewardship. He is just a good man.

The other day I was talking to him and somehow the length of time he has been in was mentioned. I told him- Sorry, but for all of us in the ward--- I hope you never get released. He pretty much threw up in his mouth I am sure. Then said, well its coming up on 4 years. (most bishops are in for about 5ish years). I told him that was unacceptable because Tevin had 6 more years in young mens and that he needed to be in there for him. I told him I would call the 1st Presidency and get him an extension. He just laughed. I don't think he knew I really was serious! I am so thankful we have such a wonderful bishop!

I am glad Lorin and I can count he and his wife, Gina as friends. They are BOTH just amazing. Gina is one of the sweetest women I know. She is always thinking of others and doing things for them. After the accident I was in in June, she kept bugging me to let her do something- bring or take me to lunch. I kept telling her I was fine and didn't need anything but she kept on asking. I finally told her Ok and she brought me Cafe Rio. It really meant a lot to me. First that she thought of me. Then that she went out of her way and took time from her busy life and brought me lunch. I cant ever eat there or pass one of their stores that I don't think of her for a moment and of her friendship and love for me. She truly is a wonderful, amazing woman!

Sold children

Tonight as we were reading scriptures, some people(Dakota) kept inserting words as other people were taking their turn reading. Needless to say, it wasn't the most reverent scripture reading session ever. Then as we were getting ready to say the prayer, Lorin mentioned that Jamen and Rose sold their dog Dixie. Dakota says-
D- WHAT!??? You cant just sell a child whenever you want.
Lorin- We know, we tried.
D- What? I have a little sister? How does this happen? Do I have more little sisters? How many little sisters do I have? This is just like when Josephs brothers sold him into Egypt! How come you didn't sell me? I want to become a queen!

Oh my! Such reverence in our home!

My funeral

I went to a funeral today. It was for Dick Covey. It was one of the best funerals I have ever been to. His son gave a wonderful eulogy and his three daughters spoke about him and what a good man he was. Even though this was a very emotional day for them they were so wonderful. They told really fun stories about him. They made us laugh and yet they gave such a beautiful tribute to him. It was truly a beautiful service! His wife, Linda is one of the most amazing women I know!

I told my kids the other day- When I die, you better make my funeral FUNNY! You better rig my body with fishing line or something so that it looks like I'm moving or breathing. Brighton said she is going to put a fart machine in my casket. THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!! I would love it! And then what if they "accidentally" tipped me out of the casket?

They better tell funny stories and make people smile! They better not be all emotional and crying. Who wants that? After all---- I will have graduated to a way better adventure! I know, funerals are a place to remember,  pay tribute and say goodbye. But it can be done in a lighthearted way that makes people smile.

And another thing- NO CASKET! A cardboard box     with a beach towel is just fine! Caskets are a total waste of money! You (The dead person) wont even get to see it or enjoy it! If you really feel the need for one- rent one for a few hours then give it back. Use that money to go to Disneyland or something!

Juston at work

I got to see Juston at work today. It was my first real day of physical therapy for my knee. It was cool to see him there and watch him doing his work. He does a really good job at it. He even got to take my stitches out! I am sure that was the highlight of his entire day! He was busy helping people most of the time I was there. I sure hope he gets accepted to Physical Therapy school so he can go on and realize his dream! He is a really great guy and I'm glad he's part of our family!

Being a mom

Sometimes being a mom is really hard. Sometimes I would just like to throw in the towel and give up. Sometimes like tonight when I've had enough with the arguing, fighting or the being rude or all the noise or fighting to get homework done or smart mouths. I'VE HAD IT!

Just give me a padded cell all by myself and leave me alone.

My knee

My knee is dying. Which really means I am dying. I went to Slates open house at school and had to go up and down some stairs. (Once up & once down).  I was so slow that it caused a traffic jam. How embarrassing! Slate was so patient though. He did go ahead of me but then he would wait. Going down was the worst! By the time I got to the bottom I thought I was going to throw up. Nice! And yes I did look for garbage cans in the classroom. I thought I was doing so good. But by the end of the day each day- IT HURTS SO BAD!!! I hope it gets better soon!

Water fight

Tonight we had the missionaries over for dinner. I love having them. They are such good young men. I love that they set a good example for my kids. I love it! Lorin was called into work so we needed a priesthood holder to be here. When Slate turns 16 it will be OK but for now when Lorin isn't here, we need to have someone else. So I called Brighton and Juston. They are so great to just come on the spur of the moment. I so appreciate that they are always so willing to help. We were having Cafe Rio pork tacos. A lot of times when we are eating you have to be specific in asking for something. For example, Slate asked for the bowl of cantaloupe so Dakota was pouring out the cantaloupe onto her plate and passing him just the bowl. Well, I asked Slate to get me a glass of water up to but not quite at the rim. So he got me a glass of water, filled it a tiny bit, then turned it  upside down on the table with a piece of paper under it. Then he took the paper out so just the upside down glass of water was on the table. Hmmmm what to do? What to do? Of course there was only one thing to do.... I just tipped the glass over in his lap so most of the water went all over him. AWESOME!!! The missionaries were in total shock. And it just kind of went from there. Slate threw water on me- twice I might add. Then the missionaries held Slate so I could dump water on him but he was wiggling so much and I was worried he was going to kick my leg that I totally missed, water got everywhere but on Slate. It was crazy and fun.

I just hope Slate realizes that I know where he sleeps!!!!

Dogs

I am a dog lover. I really am. Actually I am an almost any animal lover. Maybe not ferocious man eating lions or sharks but other than that, mostly I am. I was always the one to drag home the stray dogs. Always! One time I went school clothes shopping and came home with a husky puppy. Another time there was this cute little puppy stuck in someones fence, I'm sure it was crying because it saw me passing by and wanted to come home with me. I HAD to help it. Then there was the time I stopped and asked if I could have this cute puppy out of someone elses yard- they said yes. Then the time I begggggged and begggggged for the Alaskan Malamute..... I'm pretty sure that one almost ate me in my sleep (I actually didn't sleep that night because my mean smart mother made me sleep with it in my room. How could she do that when she knew, SHE KNEW it could eat my entire body in one gulp? And it peed a huge pile of pee on my rug. Then it ate a chicken when it went outside and got in a fight with another dog. We took that one back. PRONTO). Or the doberman named Dobie that hated the neighbor girl and tried to eat her everytime he saw her.  And those are just the ones I can remember off of the top of my head.  HOW DID MY MOM PUT UP WITH THAT CRAP??? Really how? She probably just rolled her eyes and sighed a big sigh, here we go again. And the thing is... I never took care of them. I loved them and played with them for awhile but it never lasted. Except for that one dog Willis that my mom brought home. I loved him forever and then he just disappeared one day. Just like that. Rude huh! I think my mother may have had something to do with his disappearance. I guess I'll find out the truth someday. Sigh.

We've had dogs all of our married life. I've gotten most of them. Why is it then that lately for the last couple of years I've not wanted to get anymore dogs? I think it may have been Pongo's fault. We had him forever. I got him for Lorin for his birthday one year. He was seriously the BEST dog ever! He was king of the neighborhood. He roamed all over the place. He hung out with coyote's.  He watched out for the kids. Then he got old. He could barely move. He couldn't eat or get up to go to the bathroom or anything. He had horrible flies crawling on him. I kept telling Lorin to take him and have him put to sleep but he wouldn't. One day Darci came over and saw how horrible his situation was. She cleaned him up as best as she could and went with me to have him put to sleep. It was awful. It took 3 shots to do it. The vet said it normally only took 1. He was a fighter to his last breath. And I just remember him looking at me as it was happening. It was HORRIBLE. I know it was for the best but it was awful. It broke my heart. Truly. I think that is when I started not to ever want dogs again. Then Oreo was poisoned and Stupid Dog (Chancho) was poisoned and Bella got lost. I think Pongo really was the beginning of this change of heart. Lorin keeps hinting around he would like another dog and I see a cute puppy and my heart does little flip flops for about 1.5 seconds. And for a brief moment I would get another dog. Then I remember Pongo or any of the others who haven't really had a  happy ending and it all goes right out the window. Plus it is really nice to not have to pick up dog poop anymore and also that the sprinklers aren't chewed up every 5 minutes or the neighbors aren't mad because the dog pooped on their grass. Again.

I miss having a dog. I do. Just not enough to go get another one. I think that era of my life is over.

Trials

We have 2 families in our ward that are truly struggling with some pretty terrible trials. One is a woman who just lost her husband to cancer. Her children are all grown so he didn't leave behind a young family but I cant imagine the pain and sorrow she is experiencing. She will be alone. She has just lost her whole world. I know she is strong and has faith. But how do you move on from something like that? I watched my Dad somewhat after my mom passed away, I don't live close to him so I didn't see a lot of what he was going through. But I did see the books piled on my moms side of the bed so it would feel like there was someone there. I have watched him become bitter, angry and almost a recluse. When I was growing up, the example he and my mom set for us kids was you took a calling and served to the best of your ability. He says no to callings or says if I was called to that, I would say no. He wasn't like that when my mom was alive or if he was, my mom hid it from us. What will become of my cute friend Linda? Will she turn to the Lord even more? Will she be able or want to stay in her house? She is one of the most amazing beautiful women I know. She just makes you feel comfortable and loved just being in her presence.

The other family has had their lives turned inside out. The dad is going to be going out of town for a very long while and the mom will be taking care of the kids, house and everything all on her own while he is gone. She is so angry and overwhelmed. She doesn't know where to start or what to do. She is questioning if her Heavenly Father even loves her.

Trials are so hard. They question your faith. They come at you and you feel as if at any moment you will shatter into a million pieces or even worse that you will just disappear and no one will even notice or care. Sometimes its hard to not give up on life. To just stay in bed and cry your eyes out or sleep, sleep, sleep. If you are asleep, you cant feel anything right?

And then you look at other peoples trials and are so thankful for the trials you have been given instead of theirs. I am so glad I have the injuries I have from my accident instead of losing my husband to cancer. Or having to be alone and do EVERYTHING myself. I am thankful for my trials because I sure wouldn't want to experience some of the things I see happening.

And the funny thing about trials.... is that when they are over and you realize they haven't killed you, sometimes you can look back and see that they were really a blessing in your life and that you grew so much. And then sometimes you thank Heavenly Father for them. Maybe not soon after. But I think sometimes you are able to gain that perspective. You wouldn't want to do it again, but you are thankful and made it through.

Surgery

So this past Thurs. I had surgery on my left knee due to the bike accident I was in in June. I had a strained ligament that the Dr. said should heal on it own and the cartilage was torn in 2 places. I thought the surgery would be no big deal. From what I understood, it was going to be a piece of cake. Imagine my surprise that the day after it started hurting like CRAZY!!!!! I was trying to be strong but it really hurt. Lorin has been so helpful through it all. The 2nd day after it is feeling a lot better! I can put weight on it a bit. This surgery thing sure isn't that fun!

9/11

9/11/2001
I remember exactly where I was on this day 12 years ago. I was in the front yard on the east side of the driveway pulling weeds. Slate (who was 3) came out and said my friend Vickie had just called and was saying something about an airplane that hit a building, terrorists and stuff. It sounded like a bunch of crazy talk so I sent him back in to get ready for school. He kept trying to tell me but it was making no sense to me. He finally went back inside. I came in a bit later. That's when I learned that Vickie had called with the news of the 2 airplanes that had crashed into the Twin Towers and they had come crashing down killing thousands of people. I remember watching in horrified fascination. Watching it over and over again. It was terrible. I don't think I really understood at the time that our great nation was under attack. I didn't know what that meant. Then the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania and HOPING, HOPING, HOPING that there were survivors. And yet there were none. Then the people on the TV started showing pictures of their loved ones that were missing. Please help. Have you seen.... The many hundreds. I cried and cried. The heartbreak these people had to endure. Even now it wrenches my heart and brings tears to my eyes. I wished I could help or take their pain away. Oh how I wished.

I don't understand, how could someone do this to another person, another human being? Even if you don't agree with their views or beliefs how could this happen? How do people get to the point where it is OK to hurt another and not just another but families too?

A good thing that came out of this horrific act was that for a time our county came together, we helped each other in ways that hadn't happened before. Neighbor helped neighbor but even more so- stranger helped stranger. There were so many heros. Recognized or unseen. And I think there for awhile, we, as a nation called upon God to help us. We as a nation turned to Him. We prayed with all of our hearts. We tried to do our best and worship Him. It was truly amazing.

Yes, I remember. I don't think I'll ever forget. How could I.

Flooding in Vegas

Before I tell you about the flooding, I need to  tell you there was a terrible fire up on Mt. Charleston this summer. It burned so much land up there. The smoke filled the sky and ash rained down on us. It was terrible! So the weather here in Vegas has been seriously so crazy the last couple of weeks. It has been raining and cloudy yet still in the upper 90's with 80% humidity. The first big storm we got started on a sunday evening. The kids were all supposed to be coming over for dinner. Darci & Brighton had a difficult time getting to our house because Grand Teton was a huge river with all sorts of rocks and debri. I love when it rains. I love the coolness and freshness it brings to the earth. It also makes me feel like I should curl up with a book. Anyway- it poured and poured and poured. We could hear sirens going off every 5 minutes because of all the accidents. The kids had fun going out and playing in it. They went over to the Basin and Juston and Slate went wading out in it. It was up to their thighs. CRAZY! And because of the fire, all the vegetation is gone from up on the mountain which would normally hold the water but because it was gone it all came racing down Grand Teton. You couldn't even get through. Cars were getting stuck like mad. I was going to attempt it in the suburban but  as I got to the intersection a Jeep tried to go through it. It was buried to its axles in the mud and gunk. I opted not to try it. At the end of the dirt road on Tioga, the water carved out a huge ditch. It used to be level so you could get onto Grand Teton but no more, you would need a crane to lift your vehicle out of there now. And you should see the mountains of mud the bulldozers have pushed to the sides of the roads. So now everytime it rains in the mountains, it is a huge flood down Grand Teton. Its nasty! Some of the neighborhoods cant even park in their own developments. They have to park on a side road and walk in to their houses. That has got to be a pain in the behinder! It takes Dakota & Slate 45 minutes to get home from school and we live right across the street! It is just amazing the destruction caused by these floods.

Games

Tonight a group of us went over to the Zobrists to play Maffia. It was seriously so much fun! We used to play this or something every single weekend. We usually had about 20 couples that would come and play. Then after games we would go toilet paper whoever left the party early. I am pretty sure the adults TP'd more than the teenagers. Fun times! Fun times!

Tonight it was- Zobrists, Noordas, Piets, Davises, Leavitts, O'Roarkes, Adams, Paces, Deckers and Princes. Everyone just brought a treat to share. We played 3 rounds of it. And talked and talked and talked. It is so good to get together like that sometimes. I feel like doing activities really bonds friendships. I feel like most of those people that we played with years ago I could call on to help me with anything. I think I just need to make more of an effort to do stuff like this. I know if I did so I would feel like we (I) was more a part of something instead of just alone by myself. It doesn't really take that much to get it organized. Just a few texts out to people. I think everyone wants to have fun and be a part of something just as much as I do.