In spite of my neglect…

...from the rose bush by my front door.

How I like to fix dinner…

Plan on 4,
feed 8.
No leftovers.

Tonight, for example:

I selected a nice 4 pound fryer.
Seasoned it perfectly and baked for 2 hours.
Real mashed potatoes, cream gravy from the drippings &
fresh fruit to compliment it on the side.

Kylee and I were the first. We ate to our hearts content.
Then the phone call came.

Kylee’s friends were ready to meet up for Taylorsville Days.
After a quick survey of the remaining food,
and a quick call for Taylor to hurry home to eat,
the invitation was extended.

A few minutes later, there was a frenzy around my counter
… just the way I love it!

After cleaning it up (with 6 helpers)
and loading the dishwasher,
I was able to save a plate for Evan.

Perfect!

Crashing…

It happened today.
One of my greatest fears came to pass.

My laptop crashed!

I was looking for a map online,
as soon as I hit a link my computer appeared to start a scan.
It was an unauthorized scan!

I quickly shut down.
As I started the computer back up,
(this is when my heart sank!)
it would not start.

5 seconds of something
followed by a flash
and then power off.

Each time I tried again, with the same result.
After about attempt 6,I decided all was lost and walked away,
and prepared to visit the DR tomorrow.

A few hours later, on a whim, I gave it one more try.
Whew! Here I am!
A “system restore” is underway, and hopefully…
that will be that.

Staycation

We were supposed to be in Lake Powell.
We made a difficult, but responsible decision
… and canceled the trip.

We continued to work for the rest of the week.
Except
…today.

The girls and I are going to play.
…and maybe get a sunburn!

Father’s

I am so grateful for the many fathers in my life.

First, and foremost, my Heavenly Father.
Then, my own father. The man who raised me and taught me how to fix things.
Dearest to my heart, my husband. The father of my children.

I can take this a step further by including
My brother.
My late grandfathers and father in law.
My two brothers in law.

Even more,
good friends and neighbors.

To all of them,
I wish a Happy Father’s Day.

May you all realize the important roles you play in my life
and the magnitude of your righteous influences upon my children.

Loosing something you love…

Last night, my daughter suffered a great loss.
Greater than the loss of a camera or an IPod.
Almost as great as the loss of a loved one.

She received notification that her beloved sorority,
along with the brother fraternity,
is being dissolved.

It has been a very emotional 24 hours for both of us.
At times, I found that the only thing I could do is hug her and cry with her.
Other times, I mustered up what little encouragement I could.
Best of all, I reminded her to pray…

Pray for the ability to understand the why.
Pray for the courage to immerse herself in her Singles Ward.
Pray in gratitude for the few years that she had in Gamma. 
Pray for the opportunity to take what she received in Gamma
and use it to create something better in what lies ahead.

I pray that she will have the strength to get through this
and become a better person because of it.
I pray that she will understand that the reason is clear
to her Heavenly Father, there is a purpose for the change,
and she needs to have faith that it is for the best.

In the mean time, I have lots of hugs for her
as she continues to mourn her loss…

Congrats to the Grad!!

Class of 2011…
The 100th graduating class of Jordan High School!

The difficult decision

Being a spouse, a parent, a grown up
brings great joys, and great responsibilities.

In our household, we have been very blessed.
Our needs have been met, and we indulge in a few extras. 
We have had a great time growing up together!!

Our desire to eliminate our own personal debt and honor recent medical expenses, 
combined with a few bumps in the road at work,
has led us to a handful of family counsels and discussions.

We have canceled a few family trips, evaluated needs vs. wants
cut back on our weekly FHE dinner out, and made other personal sacrifices.

The decisions themselves, have been easier to make.
than dealing with the frustration and disappointments
I hope that our daughters realize, we are disappointed too!

Ultimately, I hope someday our daughters will remember these times
not as “the time we canceled our trip” or the “time we couldn’t buy something”,
but as “the time my parents made the right decision”.
I hope that they can use this example when it is their turn
to make the difficult decision.

Unnecessary family loss…

It has been a great week.

Yesterday…  I hosted a brunch for the young women in the Ward
that are graduating from High School.
We ate well, and learned some things about each other.
We also learned how much we have in common.

Thursday… pork tacos for 30.
I lugged a pig over to the choir room at JHS for the end of year party for the Madrigals. 
It was a bitter-sweet ending to our last year of public school
as we thanked her Choir teacher for his influence in the life of our youngest daughter.

Monday… Memorial Day
A house full of family and friends.
Two ingredients for a perfect party… TONS of food, LOTS of noise.

Each of these events required much preparation, and even more cleaning up.
During of which, time was spent reflecting and thinking.

My thoughts were focused mostly on family relationship’s
and all of the growing experiences being a part of a family provides.
It must have been my trip to the SLC Cemetery to visit the gravesites of family members,
combined with the gathering of family over the holiday, that started this thought process.

What weighted most heavily, was the thoughts of lost relationships.
Not the relationships that were lost with the passing of a loved one,
but the relationships that were lost because of misunderstandings, stubbornness
and unwillingness to apologize or forgive.

A mother and a son, both went to their graves, after having not spoken to each other for years.
Neither was willing to go to the other and make things “right”. They both cleaved unto their pride.

The mother was the first to pass away. I don’t ever recall if the son was at the funeral.
What I do remember, however, was this pride and anger towards his mother
was deflected now, towards his uncle… the man who attempted for years, to reunite the two.
What a tragedy it was, when this man died 11 years later. Prematurely, and alone.

I know this is why, whenever there seems to be contention among family members,
I grow an enormous pit in my stomach. I worry that this family history will repeat itself.

One of my greatest desires is a close and happy family. It is not easy, but it is possible… with effort.
I encourage each member to heed to these words from Jeffrey R. Holland:

Is there someone in your life who perhaps needs forgiveness? Is there someone in your home, someone in your family, someone in your neighborhood who has done an unjust or an unkind or an unchristian thing? All of us are guilty of such transgressions, so there surely must be someone who yet needs your forgiveness.

And please don’t ask if it is fair that the injured should have to bear the burden of forgiveness for the offender. Don’t ask if “justice” doesn’t demand that it be the other way around. When it comes to our own sins, we don’t ask for justice. What we plead for is mercy—and that is what we must be willing to give.

Such perfect words, not only to apply in family relationships, but in ANY relationship!

How to gain 10 lbs.

The cool and wet weather brought 22 people into my house for Memorial Day.
It was a great day and I LOVED having the house full of family.
Baby Back Ribs, Maple Salmon and amazing sides.
In spite of using paper plates, I ran the dishwasher for 2 more days.

On Tuesday, I bought a 16 pound pork roast 
preparatory to feeding Taylor’s choir class on Thursday.
Wednesday, it slow cooked in the oven while I worked,
then Evan and I spent the evening together shredding pig.
Two crock pots full of pork tacos.

The grand finale will be Saturday.
I am playing hostess to the graduation Laurels in our Ward.
The brunch menu will include Eggs and Hash-browns, Muffins,
Banana Bread Kabobs and Stuffed Strawberries.

I’m thinking cereal for Sunday dinner!
I will be all cooked-out.