Mile stones

Everyone has milestones as they go through life.  Yesterday was a big one for my extended family.  It was Greg's birthday but this doesn't have anything to do with it.  My sister- in- law went through her closet and packed all of my brothers clothes.  She then took it to my moms house and had each of the siblings go through it to see if there was anything that anyone wanted.  This was very difficult for Teresa and my mom.  We all knew it was time to move on but it is always sad and difficult to let go of the things that we feel attaches us to someone and their memory.  The time has come to finish the healing process.  We will all still miss Brian and will continue to remember him and honor his memory.  Brian would be happy about this.  He was very adamant that Teresa not mourn to long and move on and get remarried.  Hopefully she will, for her sake as well as her children.  

     On another note.  Our family is now preparing for my other brother, Mark, to get married.  Which is scheduled for June 20, 2009.  It looks like it will be a busy summer this year.  Congratulations Mark!

Happy Birthday Greg

Greg's birthday is Wed. April 29th.  He will be 19 yrs. old.  Where has time gone?  Greg weighed 10 lbs. 1 oz.  and 19 in. long when he was born.  He was the easiest pregnancy and birth out of all my children.  My husband at the time was at boot camp and was unable to be there.  I called my parents and told them that I was in labor.  They only lived 5 min. away from me but had to get dressed since it was 3 in the morning.  By the time they got there, I was outside waiting and pacing back and forth with a grin on my face.  My mom asked if I was sure I was in labor and I said yes.  I guess it's not normal for a woman in labor to have a grin on their face.  I was just so excited that it totally over road all the pain.  Scientific proof of mind over matter.  LOL! My labor and delivery was 3 hours. I was dilated to an 8 when we got to the hospital. The pain finally kicked in and it raised my blood pressure so the nurses had me get an epidural and it stopped my labor.  Go to find out it wasn't just the epidural, my body always takes a break at an 8.  Go figure!  Greg was born blue from lack of oxygen.  He pinked up quick and had no problems other than they couldn't get the new born T-shirts to fit his shoulders and arms.

    Greg was always a happy baby and a tease.  All the nurses were totally taken with him through his whole toddler years.  Greg has a charisma that I don't understand.  He failed Jr. High and High school, yet all his teachers thought he was one of the greatest kids in class.  I guess I'm not the only sponge when it comes to Greg.  He has me wrapped around his little finger.  

     He is so lovable and talented.  I am so glad he is my son.  I am proud of him.  Happy Birthday Greg.  I love you!

It's Friday and I haven't seen Greg in 2 day and his birthday party is on Sunday.  I hope he shows up.  I had him out doing yard work for me a couple of days ago and I think I scared him off because he knows there's more to do.  Sigh!  I wish I knew what to do and how to communicate with him.  Sometimes I think I know what he's feeling and then the rest of the time it's like we speak two different languages.  Being a parent is difficult.  When they're babies you have to wake up all the time at night and change diapers, feed them, bathe them and just love them.  When they get older you don't have as many physical things that you have to do for them but you do still have to love them which I don't mind doing.  For some reason it's harder though.  You have to watch them make their own decisions and mistakes and it's heart wrenching.  

  In my mind it's kind of like the pioneers.  They were the babies.  Almost everything was physical needs.  Our time is like teenagers, it's almost all based on Faith.  We blindly walk into the dark waiting for the light to come.  It's scary.  Just think, Greg is my oldest and I have 5 more to get through.  I hope my heart is strong enough.

Survey

I read the comments on the Prom blog and wanted to survey everyone.

Was Liz's dress modest enough?

Please comment honestly.  I worry about it.  It's so hard to find things modest so we have taken to adding sleeves to the dress and I wanted to know if my efforts are worth it.  I feel like it's okay, but I don't always see things properly.  Thanks!

Working the soil

There is nothing so soothing as working the soil and preparing it for planting.  It brings you so close to the Lord.  So many things in life can be likened to working the soil such as, missionary work, fasting, obeying the commandments, etc.  We are able to give life and beauty to this world.  I get so antsy to start planting.  Some plants can be planted now but most need to wait because we still have threat of frost.  I plan on spending today working on the soil to prepare it for planting.  The soil is still soft from rain and snow but no longer frozen.  I'm going to attempt to move a sprinkler head and repair another.  My first attempt.  I'm a little nervous about it.   I will also be trimming and pruning grapes and trees.  The sun and Son make me so happy!

Prom

Saturday, my daughter Elizabeth went to Jr. Prom.  It has been so fun dressing her up for the past 2 years for these dances and I am so sad that this was the last one for four years.  Liz is a senior and about to graduate.  My next daughter Brianna is almost 12 yrs old and has 4 years until she can date.  The only way I'll get to do this before then is if Liz decides to get married during the next 4 yrs.  I love having daughters.  I guess I'll have to console myself with helping Jacob ask girls out in creative ways until then.  Then, he still has 2 yrs. until he can date.  My husband says I should start a dance fund during this lull.  Maybe he's right.  Even renting the dresses it still ends up costing around $100.00 per dance.  Crazy isn't it?  It has been fun though and I don't regret a dime of it.

There has been much outrage because I have been home from camping for 3 days and still have not blogged.  Hopefully this will be worth the wait.  Camping was fun.  We got to Vernon Creek Reservoir around noon on Friday and enjoyed the sunshine even if it was in the mid 50's.  By ten o'clock almost all our friends were stone cold drunk and amused us with jokes and stories from the past.  Saturday the weather changed to rain by 3:00 p.m. and continued off and on the rest of the night.  Vance being as active as he is, we knew would be impossible in the tent all day so I talked Troy into taking the family mudding in the truck.  We had a blast!  We almost got stuck, at which point we decided to head back to camp.  As a joke I asked Troy to stop and get a dead pine tree and chain it behind the truck and drag it to cover our tracks and to announce Christmas at camp.  I was probably the only one who thought it was humorous.  Sunday turned out beautiful and we were the last ones to break camp and enjoyed a few hours of peace and quiet with just the family.  We saw over 8 deer out there and several hawks.  It was awesome!  Now we just have to talk the Pitts into going out with us.  Hint! Hint!  

Monday we celebrated out family anniversary and went to Iggy's for dinner and then watched The Tale of Desperoux.  Dinner was great the movie not so great.  Let me tell you about our tradition of the family anniversary.  Troy and I were married in November but were sealed to each other and the children April 16th.  We  decided that since we were sealed as a family that we would celebrate as a family each year.  We always go to dinner and an activity as well as dessert.  Since we went camping this weekend we were on a budget for the anniversary and we celebrated early because Liz had to work on the 16th.  It is a wonderful tradition.  I hope to carry it on for many years to come.

The last couple of days have been very busy trying to get all packed up to go camping.  Troy left this morning and will be sorely missed tonight.  I'm already past my bed time since it's almost midnight.  I tend to have sleeping problems when Troy is gone.  It's not really a fear just an emptiness or void.  I used to have a hard time going to sleep then I married Troy and it's better than taking a sleeping pill.  He doesn't seem to think that's a good thing.  LOL!  He has a very calming and comforting affect on me.  I love him very much.  I can't wait to leave in the morning so I can be with him.  I want to give a big shout out to Jason and Sam for letting us borrow their tent trailer.  We really appreciate it.  Thank you so very much, you are wonderful friends.  We love you.

Facebook

I absolutely love Facebook.  I am able to connect with old friends and relatives that don't know that I exist.   I have heard that it is addictive though, so I'll have to be careful not to go overboard on it.  I was a little bummed today to see that they are working on the site and so it is down for a few hours.  I was contacted by several people that I want to connect with and can't do it any other way than through FB.  I have not done much today other than play on the WII.  My kids say I'm addicted to Animal Crossing.  I do enjoy it but I think their more addicted than me.  They play a lot more hours.  Well I think I'll kick Vance off the WII and take another turn at Animal Crossing before the other kids get home.

Among the peoples of the earth there is neither inferiority nor superiority; that we are all sons and daughters of God and therefore sisters and brothers with each other; and that we have an obligation to respect and help one another.

Each of us occasionally needs to be disciplined and instructed. But such feedback ought to be offered in a spirit of correcting, helping, and strengthening.

.....Gordan B. Hinckley     Standing for Something

I guess I have a bug up my butt.  I have had to listen to someone blame all her and her children's problems on her ex husband and this man use to be my ex husband so I am more than qualified to reply to her comments.  In all fairness he is not perfect.  It takes two people to get married and it takes those same two people to break that marriage apart.  I definitely had my part in the break up and have apologized for the wrongs I did.  He has forgiven me.  He is a wonderful man and I see no reason to bash him just because he didn't live up to the expectations she had for him.  You can't marry someone just because of their potential.  Each of us have things that has happened to them and it has stopped them from becoming more than they are.  Some are molested, raped or just degraded until there is no semblance of Self Worth.  He is such a man.  He tries so hard and can't get passed  his past.  To use the government system to get your revenge is so wrong.  A person can only take so much before they break.  A person needs money to live on.  If you make them pay so much child support and alimony that they can't live on their own then something is wrong.  He has always payed his child support to me and is currently trying to pay the astronomical amount the state of California is telling him to pay.  They went off what they thought he was capable of earning and not what he actually earns.  I am outraged that his ex wife would do this to him just to "kick his butt into gear" and get more than one job.  She lives with her mom and doesn't pay for anything and it was her decision to move there and guilted him into moving with her and the children then proceeded to tell him he couldn't do anything right.  Her parents did the same thing to him until she asked for the divorce then he decided to come back here to Utah were he could afford to live.  He currently lives with his mom and is taking care of her since she was diagnosed with cervical and uterine cancer.  All his free time is in taking care of her.  I will try to feel forgiveness in my heart for this woman but, it will be hard.  What ever happened to compassion?  Does everything have to be about what we can get out of it?  I could say more but it would only be even more depressing.  I know, you say , why doesn't he do something about it?  The answer is he wants to take care of his kids no matter what the expense.  I wish he could find a good woman, who understood him and could accept him for the person he is.  I'd hate to see him lose faith in all women and in the church.  If anyone who reads this has any suggestions, let me know.

He that governeth himself is greater than he that taketh a city.  

.............author unknown

Ode to Diets

I was one who never really cared about dieting.  I couldn't be bothered with the stress of trying to look like everyone else.  I didn't worry about my weight, I was normal to slightly heavier than normal most of my life.  My weight wasn't a problem, my fashion style definitely was.  I was told every day by a girl in high school that I was ugly and my momma dressed me funny.  It did wonders to my self esteem.  It was hard enough that my family was poor let alone getting teased because we couldn't afford the "cool clothes".  My weight on the other hand was in the okay range and I didn't mind it, until after I had a few children.  I only fluctuated 5-10 pounds either way, but with each child after my third I couldn't remove those last  ten pounds until now where I am over my normal weight by a whopping 75 pounds.  Most of the time it still doesn't bother me because I am strong and healthy.  After so many ads and pressure to look like a sucker kind of gets to the self esteem.  I am today at a point were I am not happy with my weight.  I am not eating right and stuck in this horrible addiction to carbs.  After watching Conference I decided that I needed to change and get control of the addiction.  I use to smoke and drink alcohol and rarely ate unhealthy things, now I don't smoke or drink and I almost always eat unhealthy things.  I guess it's true that you don't get rid of the addictions you just trade it in for a new one.  With the help of the Lord maybe I can trade this bad eating habit in for a new one that is better and healthier for me.  So if I show up to dessert group and try to order unhealthy please be kind and remind me that I'm trying to change my habits.  I could use all the help I can get.  I don't want to be a supermodel just a better me.  A message for Sam, quit crying!  Ha! Ha!  I am okay and I do love myself no matter what I look like.  I am special.  I deserve to treat myself that way and to quit hurting and punishing myself.

Friends old and new

I'm not a professional writer but was encouraged by my friend to start blogging.  Hopefully it won't be as boring to read as I fear it might be.  I am so grateful for my friends, they have a tendency to make you stretch and grow in ways you don't feel comfortable with.  Sam is a new friend and I have so enjoyed her.  She is fun and funny.  She helps me to come out of my shell a little.  I wish I could be as expressive as her.  Her enthusiasm is contagious, even if I don't always show it.  

Last November my husband and I went to New York with Sam and her husband Jason and we had so much fun laughing, playing cards, swimming and sight seeing.  We all forgot that we were well out of our teenage years.  Now I know what it's like to take a mental vacation as well as a physical one.  It was absolutely freeing.

I just got in contact with an old friend from high school and even though all my memories aren't good, they definitely changed me.  A person can not become who they are with out the good and the bad and so I am grateful for everyone who has touched my life.  I am excited to get to know my old friend all over again now that we're both adults and have grown up.  Ginger and I had fun getting into trouble and hanging out and just helping each other get through those difficult times when you feel like everyone is staring at you because you have grown a third head or something.  She was there when I had my first serious boyfriend and we even shared an apartment for a short while.  Thanks again to all my friends, old and new.  I hope to reconnect with some more old friends.  Some whom I miss terribly.