Girlfriends

I love my girlfriends. I am realizing more and more how much I need them. I have been blessed with some close loving friends who have sustained me during challenging times of my life. I love my college room mates. I love my neighbor across the street. I have dear sister-in-laws. I have the association of so many great women! There is something comforting about the phone calls, conversations, and notes that come from women who can celebrate your happy times, empathize with your pain, and laugh with you until you cry.



I met a friend in 7th grade who has remained close to me for almost 15 years now. Her name is Lilli. She wipes out my microwave for me when I'm not looking. She notices when I'm low on milk and brings me a gallon. She never asks me if I need help. She just shows up and helps me when she notices I need it. I remember when I was in ninth grade and I found out my family was moving, I was devastated. The thing I was most sad about was not attending school with Lilli anymore. One night my mom found me crying in my room and came in to comfort me. I told her how sad I was to move away from Lilli. She told me that friends like Lilli don't stop being your friend just because you are far away from them. She told me that friends like Lilli only come around a few times in your life, and they are there for good. It has turned out to be true. She is one of God's tender mercies in my life.

Lame Blogger

Sorry I haven't been posting much. I've had limited email access for the past few weeks. I should be able to start posting more frequently next week.

I'm so glad it is summer.

Natural Gas

I heard on the news this morning that the average cost of gasonline in the nation is $4.10. It made my heart sink. Sometimes I think it would be worth a 30 year reduction in life expectancy, not having indoor plumbing, and making my own soap out of lard, to go back a few hundred years when life was a bit simpler. It is ironic that our atempt to simplify our lives with modern conveniences and technological advances has instead complicated things so much.

Gratefully last year we purchased a Chevy Cavalier that runs on natural gas. We're paying $.63 a gallon at the pump. We got $3,000 of our tax bill for purchasing it, and single riders can drive in the carpool lane. The car only has a 6 gallon tank which makes each fill up less than $4.00. We figure it saves us about $1,500 a year. I also have an Isuzu Rodeo, which I am driving as little as possible.

Why are Men's Razors Always Better than Women's Razors?

I have made a decision. I am no longer staying within the boundaries marketers define where razors are concerned. Women's razors are always a step behind men's. I'm not standing for that nonsense anymore. We have far more surface area to shave. We deserve greatness too. I use a men's razor. My husband recently switched over to the Gillette Fusion, which he kindly allowed me to use. I am converted. Now I have my own. You should go get one too.

Babbling

Logan likes to talk. He is starting to say simple sentences.

1. It's a bug.
2. I love you.
3. Go to the park.
4. It's the moon.
5. It's a ball.

My favorite sentences, however, are much more complex. Several times during the day Logan will look at me and rattle off a long string of multi-syllabic nonsensical words. Strangely, I understand him. While at a family party on Father's Day, he came up to me and very clearly said, "Mom, I pooped my diaper, I am feeling very uncomfortable, please change me." It sounded something like, "Mama, abaaot naa dapa, naw madd pana ladam ta." My grandpa who was sitting next to me started to laugh, because although the words didn't make sense, his body language and vocal inflections were very clear. Both he and I knew exactly what he was trying to tell us.

Language development is incredible.

Oreo Cookies

While visiting with Topher's family a few weeks ago, his oldest brother complained about the fat content of Oreo cookies. They have 50 calories per cookie. Double stuff have 70 calories. It was beyond him how knowing this disturbing fact, we are all still eating them. I rarely do.

However, during these past few challenging weeks with family trials and such, I have found them to be a wonderful dietary staple. When I am under stress, I find it difficult to eat. There have been several days recently when I'd reach four or five p.m., and realize I'd fallen terribly short of my 2,000 calorie minimum. While I don't intend to make daily Oreo eating a habit, I have been so grateful that there is a food that delivers 50+ calories a bite.

Thanks goes out to Lilli for giving me a box of oreos and a ziplock bag of multi-vitamins. They have saved me.

The Complete Serenity Prayer

I was tutoring this week at a treatment center for teenagers in drug rehab. The boy I was working with (16) was struggling with his math. His teacher told him to do the odd problems in his book. He didn't know what that meant. While we were working through the assignment together, I reflected on the choices he has made that have led him to this point in his life. I felt love and sadness for him. The reality is, all of us are working through our own hard things. I noticed this poem on the wall. I have seen the beginning of it before, but never the whole thing. A few weeks ago my mom gave me a bracelet with the first few lines of this prayer. There is an important message in it for me. Perhaps there is one for you too.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this world as it is,

Not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to his will.

That I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with him, forever, in the next.

1926 Reinhold Neibuhr

Wardrobe

I always get rid of things I don't need.  I'm not attached to stuff.  I don't like clutter.  For the first time in my life I'm wishing I had kept some things that I got rid of.

Some dark day during pregnancy I decided my body was destroyed forever and I would never be able to wear my "skinny" clothes ever again.  I got rid of all single digit sizes in my moment of despair.  After many spinach salads and countless hours on my treadmill, I need them again. Round one of pregnancy, childbirth, and mommyhood has taught me an important lesson.  You need a closet with lots of sizes of clothes.  

Lucky for me, my dear friend just found out she is expecting twins.  We did a clothing swap yesterday.  I gave her my comfy forgiving shirts and maternity clothes.  She handed over her pre-pregnancy selection.  No money spent.  Maybe a couple of years from now we can swap them out again.    

Tribute

I got a treasure on my birthday last week.  My sister-in-law wrote a beautiful tribute to me on her blog.  You can check it out on lifeupstream.blogspot.com.  I loved it so much, I thought I'd do one for my grandparents.  Today is their anniversary.  They have been married for 54 years.  I love them so deeply.  I have learned some great life lessons from them.  I could make this a very long post.  I wrote a lengthy journal entry about them and the impact they have had on my life.  I will share 10  tidbits here.

1.  Pray to see situations as they are, not as you perceive them to be.

2.  Family relationships are really important.  Preserve them.  People are more important than things.

3.  Serve others without expectations.

4.  Don't spend time worrying about things you are afraid of.  They probably won't happen.  

5.  Working hard feels good.

6.  Honor parents.

7.  Watermelon plants might grow in your stomach if you swallow the seeds.

8.  Hard things are okay.  Things work out.

9.  Express love.

10. Create a family environment that is comfortable and safe that people want to be part of.  

College Paper

The day I finished my last final of college, I called my mom to tell her.  She asked me to go write one more paper about the most important things I had learned during my three years at BYU.  I did.  Most of them were not about how to become a teacher.  

I remember as I reflected on the time I spent, and I realized how many hard things I had to do - I was glad that it was over.  If someone had told me ahead of time the difficult things that would be required, I probably never would have begun.  Yet, looking back on a job well done was so satisfying.  The lessons I learned have proved to be invaluable.  When I've come to different crossroads in my life, I've thought back on that experience.  I'm glad that the Lord in his wisdom doesn't let us see the hard things that are coming our way.  We'd all probably be reluctant to continue forward if we knew the difficult things life will ask of each of us.  My hope is that one day when I'm further down life's road, I'll look back with satisfaction and gratitude on the lessons that life has taught me.

Here are 10 excerpts from the paper my mom requested the last day of college:

 - It doesn't hurt me to be patient and kind, but it will usually hurt someone else if I'm not.

 - When you are standing before an overwhelming task, it often seems impossible.  It is not.  You'll find that as you begin to move forward one day at a time you can accomplish nearly anything.

- If there are three blow dryers and two curling irons plugged into the wall, you will flip the breaker.

- Help people who you can help.  Pray for people who you cannot help.

- Serve the people you love.  Serve the people you don't love, and pray to love them.

- Express gratitude.

- Don't miss the miracles in each day because you are too busy to notice them.

- Don't be cynical of others.  You never know what difficult things they are dealing with.

- The purpose of prayer is not to convince God that what you want is right.

- Sometimes you can't please everyone.  The only perfect person who lived on this earth didn't please everyone.