The Knock

The evening was quiet.  Lane was still at work.  Mike and Rhea were at the church.  Suki was sleeping on the couch and Tank lounged downstairs.  I worked at the dining room table.  My small TV was on but Forensic Files was not on very loud, just some background noise. I busily worked on my project.   At about 7:45 pm there was a loud forceful knock on at the front door.  I was startled by its intensity and proceeded to head down the stairs.  I didn’t see anyone through the side windows so I proceeded downstairs to the other door thinking I may have thought wrong.  I opened the door but no one was there.  I then went back upstairs and opened the door and there it was.  I was Ding Dong Ditched by the Young Women.  Thank you girls.  I love you too!!!  Thanks for the protection Tank, ya didn’t even bark.

Monday Mornings

Monday mornings evoke thoughts that aren’t great:  leftover dishes from Sunday, not enough sleep, five days of work to go, stuffed from eating too much at dinner the night before, lunches to make, lists to complete, regrets that not enough got done during the weekend and just the stigma that goes along with Mondays.  Was it providence that as I drove Rhea down to the bus this beautiful “welcome Monday” greeted us?  Divinely displayed I would venture to say so that I would embrace this wonderful day God has given and make me and the world around me a better place.   Thank you for the Heavenly reminder.

The Sabbath

Today was the Sabbath and as such we attended church.  We have a great ward and each week I come home recharged and reminded of what life still has in store for me.  We had a great meeting with Brother Eichorn about the temple.  He is in the temple presidency.   I’m not sure if I have ever heard a more simple, yet informative synopsis of what the temple is about.  I am so grateful for the blessings the temple brings me and my family.  The way I feel in the temple is the way I want to feel in my life.

The Mac Attack

We sat in the Harry J. McDonald rink today for two of Easton’s games.  Some places evoke memories, this facility does just that.  The building has been added on to but I still remember about twenty-three years ago when Bret participated in a hockey clinic.  We sat up on the top row and watched him do the drills and we were sure devastation had set in and his hockey dream was over.  Oh, no!  Bret said that was the most fun he had ever had and we haven’t stopped since then.  We also knew Harry J. McDonald.  He had done a clinic once that Bret was in and we had the opportunity to meet him.  What an outstanding guy and sorrowful loss from a plane crash in 1994.  Easton carries on his father’s tradition of doing well and loving the game.  We have come full circle and continue to mold great hockey players.  Way to go #21.

The Guy

So the world will now know ( if anyone chooses to tell) I drop Rhea off every morning down here at the store at 6:43 and then I zip down to the Superstore to get a fountain Diet Pepsi.   Just a medium.  Every morning at about 6:45 am there is the same guy outside the store smoking a cigarette.  He bids me a “good morning” as I enter and watches me bust out a few minutes later.  Every single morning he is there, like clockwork.  He drives his blue car and parks it in the gas pump #1 spot and his buddy sits in the car while he stands out front.  In case the world (or a few of you) thinks I am scoping this guy out I am not.  I just think it is funny he is my morning furry landmark.  Now, what do you think is going on in his mind?  “Who is this gal who comes here every morning at the same time?  She has a cool car,  always has damp hair and wears sweat pants.  She gets the same thing every morning – a medium fountain soda.  Do you think she is scoping me out????”   The answer is no.

Simple Things

Tonight was celebrated our 173rd birthday celebration of Relief Society which is the largest organization of women in the world.  We had thirty-five women attend.    This is a regroup of our night: warm, friendly, Navajo tacos, tulle puffs, shabby chic, funny, tears, honesty, pink, the Spirit, pearl cupcakes, sniffles, simple things, vintage jars, doilies, lime water,  new friends, temple and reflections.  Emma Smith said, “We are going to do something extraordinary.  Relief Society is filled with examples of ordinary women who have accomplished extraordinary things. . . ” Emma, you would have been proud.

1002 Uses

The love of popcorn goes back a generation or two.  Pops used to make it every night.   We have had many many movie nights here where popcorn is ate in all varieties.  At times I have requests for microwave and other times it is the Stir Crazy.   If we truly had to choose the ultimate it would be buttered popcorn from the movie theater.  We have an array of popcorn salts but hands down the melted yellow liquid frizzed over the puffy kernels knock us over with delight.  Mike made popcorn today and since there was some left in the lid I ate it.   I took a picture of the lid.  This is the one thousand and second use for duct tape which is holding up very well.  Hey kids, we have an anniversary coming up.  Could you get your old popcorn eating folks a new Stir Crazy??

Crazy!!

We have had the oddest winter when it comes to weather.  We beat all the records for the least snowfall recorded.  I never even wore my good winter coat.  The six wheeler certainly didn’t earn its keep.  Little MC wasn’t challenged by making it through snow drifts, there were none.  As I drove Rhea down to the bus this morning I took a picture of the added daylight the mornings have brought and the beautiful clear sky we were to experience throughout the day.  I couldn’t even see any snow on the sides of the road and I was beginning to get a little “spring fever”.  We are up to twelve hours and fifty-three minutes of daylight now with a gain of five minutes and forty-four seconds each day.   As I pulled up and around the corner and turned into our driveway the mighty “ice rink path” zapped me back into reality.   Chunky mounds of icy snow adorned the edges and no patches of dry grass were showing.   There was still the death walk from the car to the door and all exterior illumination was a mandatory feature.

Red In The Face Moment

The old and hopefully ongoing ritual amongst parents is that at the end of each day each child is asked one thing that was learned that day.  I remember feeble attempts by the kids at satisfying my question but nonetheless the inquiry was given and answered.  So what did I learn today?  I have a great answer for that one because I learned something today that rather shocks me that I didn’t know.  How could this important information have slipped through the cracks and harbored miles away from my brain.  I shrug in disbelief.    I never knew you shouldn’t keep tomatoes, potatoes and onions in the fridge for storage.   There you have it.  I will admit that usually I don’t put potatoes in the fridge, but I have.  Tomatoes and onions reside in the bottom drawers which is where I might want to hide right about now.  Gulp.

Break Up

Breakups can be painful.  They are the termination of an intimate relationship.  Breakups can sting.  Sometimes during a breakup you need to let yourself mourn, cry, punch a pillow or journal.  Don’t ever pretend you are fine.  Don’t let pride get in the way of being real.  Take some quiet moments to reflect and be honest with yourself.  It is okay to be angry, hurt or humiliated.  It is healthier to express yourself honestly than be numb.

There is another kind of breakup that can also be painful.  It is the termination of an intimate relationship with winter.  Breakups can be wet, soggy, messy, slippery mixed with chunks of dirty old ice and salt.  Sometimes during a breakup you need to let yourself mourn, cry, punch a pillow or journal.  Don’t pretend you are fine if you aren’t.  If you are fine with it, take some quiet moments to reflect and be honest with yourself.  It is ok to be jubilant, exhilarated and over the top giddy.  It is healthier to express yourself honestly and just put on a pair of good ol’ rubber boots.   Hello spring.