Know the Truth and the Truth shall make you Free

The longer I live the more I grasp the freedom that exists in loving and living in truth. All other roads eventually dwindle into dead ends or become powerfully destructive. We often resist truth about ourselves and others. Pride is the proverbial blinder where truth is concerned. The quest for truth takes great humility, but it also lifts great burdens. I am talking about truth in any shape or form. I don't think we can accept truth on a grand scale until we are willing to take it in small daily packages. I find when I am fully and openly truthful about myself, (what are my real motives, desires, etc.) I automatically view others in a more compassionate light and I can accept course adjustments others may give me more readily. All of this includes stepping up to the plate, accepting responsibility for my actions (and non-actions), paying more attention to who I really am rather than who I want others to think I am. You can't begin a journey in any other place than where you are so knowing that truth is the first forward moving step in any aspect of life.

Know the truth and the truth shall make you free!

Baking lessons....

Lorien, her fabulous friend Jen, and myself in the kitchen for a premarital baking lesson. The subject: German Chocolate Cake. The results: Moist and Mouth-Meltingly Delicious! Great job Jen and congratulations!

I left my heart in Colorado

I do love the beautiful mountains in my home state of Colorado. I was born in Arizona but moved to Colorado twice. The first time I was five and we lived in Boulder. We moved back to Arizona just before my eighth birthday. Then after a short stint in Las Vegas, (another "cutting edge" place to live) we again moved to Colorado Springs when I was in junior high. (In desert vs mountains - the mountains win! I've often wondered what I was thinking when I chose to be born in the valley heat of Mesa, Arizona.) I graduated from high school in Colorado Springs so returning always has the feel of "going home." I have lived in Utah now for over 34 years but there's still a place in my heart for the other side of the mountain range.

My sister and I went to visit this past week. We took care of a little business, enjoyed family and wandered at will the rest of the time.

Colorado Part 2

Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa are doing great at the ages of 92 and 86 respectively. They are a team and manage to keep going with each other's help. They insist on being independent and mobile. So far so good! (There was a suspicious dent in the right front fender of their car however. Last fall when I was there I found a speeding ticket for none other than Grandpa! Scary thought! )

We had the traditional chicken dinner with milk gravy made by Grandma (she kicked Grandpa out of the kitchen) and danced to the cookie jar. (Only those who have done so themselves will know what I am talking about!) Enjoy the videos. Picture quality is lacking but the dialog in the second one is hilarious thanks to Grandma! Words of Wisdom to their grandchildren...

Beavercreek, Colorado

"Beaver Creek is a feast for the eyes; a delight for the senses. The influence of renowned resorts such as Switzerland's St. Moritz, Italy's Cortina, and Spain's Val d'Aran led to the creation of a unique mountain resort full of excitement and village luxury."

So says the promo dialog for Beavercreek, Colorado and actually they are right. It's beautiful. However one must be more rich and/or famous than myself to be able to do more than just look. It was a lovely diversion however on our drive home from Colo.

Belated Birthday Wishes....

It's a few days late but none the less heart felt. Happy Birthday Lincoln! May your upcoming year be as rewarding as the previous 12 months. Thanks for who are and what you stand for. I admit it, I'm a proud mother!

Granted, the picture is out-dated. We'll see what we can do about that.



OK - Here's to 24 years and a few inches later.

Too much! Too little! Just right.

Life seems to take place on the edges - the extremes. Too much or not enough. Unending work. Not enough sleep. Too many people to love. Not enough time. Excess of beauty. Opportunity everywhere. Not enough $$. Not enough strength. Too little, too much. Somewhere in between we find happiness is oddly there amid all this imperfection.

Welcome little Abigail!

Abigail (Abi) made her entrance very quickly into the world yesterday at 6:10. Her parents had only arrived at the hospital one hour earlier. She's beautiful along with her fabulous mother!

Happy Mother's Day to all Mom's everywhere.

... is for the million things she gave me,

... means only that she's growing old,

... is for the tears she shed to save me,

... is for her heart of purest gold;

... is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

... means right, and right she'll always be.

Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
--Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

When I was young I squirmed uncomfortably over the words of this little Mother's Day song thinking of all the grief I had caused my mother as well as the grief I perceived she had caused me! And then there were all those times that she thought she was right and I didn't! It's a good thing we get older (and wiser) because now I read those words and think of my sweet, delightful, 92 year old mother (who really is an angel in disguise) and say "Right on!! I love you Mother! Thank you for a lifetime of giving to me. You really do 'Mean the world to me!'"

Do you want to now how Mother's Day began? Check it out.

Yesterday all of my children, (except the one who's away at college), three sons-in-law and one daughter-in-law and five grandchildren gathered to fix a Mother's Day dinner for me. I loved it! We decided the best thing for me to do was exit the scene for a while (less stress and temptation to come to the rescue in the kitchen) and so my husband and I went for a walk by the Provo River. Ideal for a Sunday afternoon in May.

Apparently there was lots of jostling about the kitchen as 14 people (that doesn't include the grandkids) tried to cook. The dinner was delicious and the Creme Brulee was silky smooth. The flowers were gorgeous! But the best part was having all of my wonderful children (and that includes my in-laws) here together. Along with my husband, they are my favorite people in the world. They are talented, beautiful, creative, witty, smart. Really, at least for today, they are perfect.

Random things I learned today....

James is the English version of Jacob in Hebrew.

The Epistle of James was written by James, the brother of Jesus, not James of Peter, James and John.

Jason Castro was kicked off of American Idol. (I sometimes think it a shame that I even know who Jason Castro is! Not that he's not a nice guy but don't I have better things to do than to watch the tv mongo-money maker.)

An hour walk with a good friend seems like just a few minutes.

All of my grandchildren can cry at once. (Their mother gracefully and admirably escorted them out the door in full symphony.)

As a result my 16 year old son said he might rethink his future as it relates to parenthood.

Sour cream in oatmeal raisin bars is really good.

Just don't judge people - you are almost always wrong!

You end up doing things (and feeling just fine about it) as an older parent that you never thought you would do as a younger one! Adaptation is the name of the game.

That's why it's a good thing my youngest child (age 12) is finishing grade school this spring. Every mother has only so many reading logs, science fair projects and massive country reports in her repertoire. I think I've scraped the bottom of the barrel in that realm.

There's something great about every age.

Grandchildren!!!!

The engaged couple...

Kimberly (#6) received a diamond ring last week. She and Kevin have been dating for 8 or 9 months. They are going to be married July 15 and then they will head for NYC where Kevin is starting a new job in graphic design. We already have a Kevin in our family and they have a Kimberly in theirs so we figure it's meant to be!

Charlie's Angels....

Or is it Charlie's Angel plus two. John my nephew, Christian, (#9) and Natalie (#8). By the way, you guys still owe me for those shirts!

A beautiful day....

My oldest son found the girl of his dreams last year about this time and they were married in October. He was 30 and had almost decided to settle into confirmed bachelorhood. But, she crossed his path and it was love at first site... for both him and us!

Nathanael...

Nathanael is 21, child number seven and son number two. He recently returned from spending two years in France and Switzerland doing missionary work for the LDS church. He's sweet, mellow, takes good care of his Mom and the girls love him. Just thought I'd put his picture up!

Just for fun...

Me and my good-looking better half.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is distracted....

My preference is to exercise out of doors but my dislike of being more than comfortably cold takes precedence over natural beauty. So in less than ideal weather I use my local rec center. Though the date was May 1 there were skiffs of ice and snow yesterday morning so I took up residence with an indoor treadmill at the rec center. I am probably the only one who feels this way but I dislike the string of tv's that are stationed every 10 feet or so along the row over exercise equipment. I try to choose a spot between two tv's so I can ignore them as much as possible.

Yesterday I was next to a pleasant looking young woman who had brought her scriptures to read while she ran. They were opened on the book holder in front of her and they were obviously well-read as they were marked in red pencil and the pages looked worn. The problem was the tv just to her left. It's captivating influence wouldn't let her be. Though she tried to glance at the pages of her scriptures in front of her, her eyes were constantly dawn back to the steamy soap opera on the screen. I thought how symbolic this little scene was. Our hearts desire good but we are so easily distracted by the worldliness around us. No wonder the Lord's injunction to keep our eye single to His glory is repeated numerous times. The promise is that if we will do so our "whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in (us);" (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:67)

To my left there was a gentleman watching a different program. This one was of murder and mayhem. I finally became weary of trying to shut out what was on my left and right so I went to the downstairs track to run the old fashioned way. As I have many times before, I wonder how long good people can entertain themselves with a steady flow of iniquity and maintain a degree of godliness. It seems the laws of life teach us otherwise. We reap what we sow. It weighs on my mind.