The Guys Are In Town

What a sight!!  I drove down to the Baby Bear and saw that guys are in town.  I am not sure if the guys are the “Hells Angels” or some local motorcycle group, nonetheless, I had to take a picture of their bikes all lined up as they ate at the Big Lake Restaurant. A funny juxtapose was when I also received a picture from Blaze after he lined up his cars on the bathroom counter.    I’m thinking it would be best not to show Blaze this motorcycle picture.  I don’t want him getting any ideas.  

One and Two

Today we celebrated the birthdays of Hinckley and Blaze who will be turning one and two respectively.  We grilled, we ate, we jello jiggled and we adored the cupcakes that Micah and Kyla made.  The boys were happy with their gifts and we had a hard time closing down the evening with so many things to play with.  The pictures will be our reminders for years to come that these two cousins had a whole to celebrate about.

Reminders

I was practicing the piano a little today and I was reminded that I need to get it tuned again.  Then I was reminded of the day we bought the piano.  We were living in Mascoutah, Illinois and Mike was getting ready to go to a three month school.  We took his per diem money, we think about $1500 and went to this little town and bought the piano.  It was a great investment and has certainly paid for itself with its use.  I was reminded of all my piano lessons with Sandy Syrett and having some of our kids take lessons.  I was reminded how Mike said that when we move again the piano is staying with the house because it was so hard to get it in.  All I have to do is sit down at the piano and all these reminders flood my mind while my fingers play the keys.

Captured!

I loved the look of the wet, drippy kids and they came in from recess.  What started as a drizzle ended with quite a down pour of well needed rain, although not in enough time to move recess indoors.  My little kindergartner who resides right next to my desk stopped to show me her “look”.  I grabbed my phone to capture the moment.  I realized after that I just didn’t capture the moment, I captured what looks like the cover shot of a children’s fashion magazine.  Her natural beauty is radiant.

Just What I Needed

There is a story told of a man who was stranded in the mountains when his truck got stuck in the snow.  It was only after he filled the truck bed with wood that he was able to escape.  “It was the load of wood that provided the traction necessary for him to get out of the snow, to get back on the road, and to move forward.”  Elder Bednar explains.  When we face challenges whether they are are small or big we can take comfort in the truth that such experiences will build our strength and bring us closer to God.    “Sometimes we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load.  But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness.”   I am so grateful that answers to prayers are found in talks or videos.

This Time of Year

I am so happy this time of year for the following reasons: trees starting to bud, watering cans at Target, the sky is lightening not long after I wake up, the furnace rarely fires up, wearing sandals to work, countdown until school is out, staining the deck, a weeded flower garden, birdseed filled in the feeders, the American flag is hung, patio furniture is about to appear, airline tickets are bought for summer trips, my car gets a wash and stays clean, summer fix-it-up plans are started, the grass is looking greener,  eating healthier, windows get cleaned, grilling steaks, burgers and dogs, evening walks, bike rides, canning jars and field trips.  And it is just April 26th. . .

Thanks Deb

I called Deb just to chat.  She is in California helping Yvette pack up to move here.  We talked a little business and I sent her some tote bag pictures.  We talked about the move and a few trivial things.  I asked her about Robert Forgit, the Channel Two weatherman who we used to follow all the time.   We didn’t need to talk long.   It was just great to say hi and to let her know I was thinking of her.  I realized how much I can relate to this image – thank you Charlie Brown and Snoopy for the reminder.

We Love Our Bread . . .

“We love our bread, we love our butter, but most of all we love each other.”  I love bread and I love butter and I love Mike but when it comes to the butter dish we have a problem.  In my personal book on butter etiquette when you are done with the butter on the butter dish you always wash the dish or put the new stick of butter on a clean dish.  I’m not being super picky, I am just looking out for the butter.  I caught the deed on my iPhone after the infraction was committed and I said nothing.  The tainted butter was then removed and is now on a new germ-free, sanitized plate.     Not sure if Mike is loving me right now, but our bread is.

 

A Sting Operation

I didn’t know whether to kill her or have a  stare down but the meeting was unexpected and fierce.  I was placing something in the front seat of my car and needed to place a box on the top  so my hands would be free.  Just to the left of my box was where she sat, so fat and sassy.  I stood there wanting to scream that I knew summer was approaching.  I didn’t need her to sit there blatantly reminding me of something I already knew.  And who was she, to carry the news to all, she was only one in a million.  “Little fly” probably thought she donned a queen crown but in essence she couldn’t even handle the weight of it.  We are Alaskans, we know all about their little proboscises that pierce our skin and suck our blood.  I slammed my door, took one last look at the midget attacker, pointed my finger and laughed out my words, ” I bought ten cans of repellent last year on clearance at Target!”  Ciao baby and away she blew as we blew down the road.

April 22, 1982

Thirty-three years ago today Mike and I left our student housing ‘Sparks” in Provo, Utah and drove to the Salt Lake Temple to be married.  I rented my dress for twenty-five dollars.  We didn’t have a reception but my family put on a luncheon that afternoon.  We were poor students but destined to marry then and move to Alaska to make money for the next year of school ahead.  I had never met his family nor been to Alaska so all of this was an adventure.  It was the last day of finals so a few our friends couldn’t attend but you just do what you have to do.  My roommates returned my dress for me since we were heading north and I remember my parents saying goodbye to me.  The goodbye was sad and forlorn with my parents.  My Dad said it was as if he were saying goodbye forever.  I was off in the car with a guy they barely knew and heading north to some lost cold frontier.  Thirty-three years later we now know the things we have done right to get us to this point.  We were sealed as husband and wife forever in the Salt Lake Temple and strive to live up to the covenants we made on that day.  It has been a time of learning, growing, forgiving, selflessness, determination and love.  One comment we received on Facebook seems to sum it up the best.   “Your dedication to one another is inspiring.”