I would not like to see....

On the way home from work tonight, Dad and I were making some observations of where it would be inappropriate to see the phrase: "Your name here". Feel free to add to it.

Headstones
"Wanted posters"
bathroom stahls

police arrest boards

"In Memorium" plaques

hmmm, just a thought.

I am so glad Spring is here!

I am not sure that I could have held out much longer and we did not even have a bad winter. I just needed color in this world and I think it is here. The blossoms are really starting to pop "like popcorn" and there is green everywhere. While I was waiting for the much awaited change in the seasons, I finished my spring quilt. I think it was beyond my scope of knowledge but I managed. NO ONE better look too close, it was made to be enjoyed, not admired. I think I will call it "Spring Cheer", because it does do that. I think I remember Betty saying that you always build in one mistake. See if you can find it.

Hint: Upper left hand corner.

An Amazing Account of Acquired Awareness

Carren challenged me to the come up with 10 things that I love starting with A. This was easy. Maybe she know that it would be and was giving me a break, I don’t know. But for whatever reason, I liked the exercise because it gave me the opportunity to think of things that I really to appreciate but would never blog about but am very, very grateful for. Let me caution all who read it, be careful how you comment on this because you too could be challenged with a letter.

10: AJAX: Wait a minute, don’t groan. I am serious. I like AJAX, it and similar cleaners(Comet) are my cleaners du joir in my home storage. I like how they make everything smell clean. I have this false impression that whn things smell clean, they must be clean. It is simple, I don’t fill like I am killing the ozone layer by using it and it is cheap!



9. Aragon of LOTR fame.: Ahhhhhh, this is definitely a case where a picture is worth a 1000 words. . He is sensitive, rugged, determined, and comes to an understanding of his full potential with the help of his leading lady. And he does not drop her as soon as he reaches the top.


8. Appalachian Trail: I have had a fascination with this place since I was 10 years old and read about it in a National Geographic magazine. I always dreamed about walking the entire trail/it takes several months to do it. You start in Georgia and it goes all the way to Maine(2160 miles) People do this. It would be like going back to the basics, back when the country was new. Only problem now days, people get killed doing it because there people along the trail to prey on lone hikers.



7. Apollo Missions: Having been in high school when this was all happening, I love reading about the amazing feats that NASA engineers and astronunts did. Can you imagine going to the moon with the computers they had back then.? My laptop probably has more capabilties. Yes, I am aware that there are people who think it is all faked but I don't. I believe John Glen to be a very honest man and if he said it was done, it was done. If you are more of the LDS persuasion, David Lind was an astronaut and had an experiment used during the Apollo 12 mission. They stood on the moon and looked back at the earth. How amazing would that have been?




6.Alphabet: Have you ever stopped to think about it, what our lives would be without the alphabet? It would be reduced to communicating through clip-art. I am serious, it is so neat to think that because of 26 letters, we can communicate (I didn't say get along) with half the world.



5. Albert Einstein: I love this guy (not a very nice or moral man) but wow what a genius. His theories of relativity, time, matter just blow your mind. I think that his theory E=MC2 is probably the same thing that is discussed in D&C 131:7 (given about 100 years earlier)
7 There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;




4. Astronomy : To look at the night sky through a telescope is like looking into the past and future all at once. To see so many stars and know that all things are in order and with a plan. That I am seeing the same stars that Abraham saw and that I can see the Andromeda Galaxy that is over 2.50 million light-years away from the earth. My favorite quote is from Neal A Maxwell: "Therefore, on a clear night, though we see stars of incomprehensible longevity, they are not immortal. But, thankfully, we are!"

3. Alma 5: This is not what you are thinking, even though it is great scripture, the 5th chapter of the Book of Alma, in the Book of Mormon is probably one of the great reality checks to where we personaly stand with each other and with the Lord. Take time to read it or reread it. It is just a masterpiece of evaluation and what we should be doing with our lives. I have underlined dozens of questions that Alma asked and it never fails to very quickly put me in my place if I start thinking that I am doing pretty good in my personal and spiritual life. It is really the best reality check you can read and the best relationship manual EVER written.

2. A+ blood type. Probably the only A+ I have ever gotten, but I am very grateful for blood and what it does to keep me going.






AND NUMBER ONE:

1. Atonement. There is nothing better or more prefect. I am so grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ and his Atonement. It is all true. He lives.

Confessions of a Dreamer

Spoiler alert: lots of good lessons learned.

This is the Rex Lee Run for a cancer cure, I am the one in the white (and eventually very red face)

Lesson 1: Desire does not qualify you for the race.

I really wanted to do this, several from my office have been planning to do it for months. I finally got around to preparing for it this year. I was not going to run, just walk and I had been working on my treadmill somewhat faithfully and did feel that if I could do two miles on a flat treadmill, what is the difference with doing three on city streets. (you see where this is going) There were thousands at this race (along with my very prepared co-workers) it was a cool morning but I really wanted to do this. So the race began and we started off......uphill. Remember I said that I had been working on a flat treadmill......this is where the red face came it. I made it almost to the top and when all of the mothers pushing 3 and 4 kids in stollers had past me ( and little kids pushing strollers had past me) I figured I would probably drop over dead and then one of those little kids would have to push me back in a stoller because I couldn't breath anymore. So I quit and headed back down hill. I was not prepared and my wanting it was not going to make it happen.

I spent about 2 minutes of my usual self-loathing time as I walked back down hill when it suddenly occured to me....I was breathing!

Lesson 2: Not all the race is uphill

It only took a few seconds of going downhill before I had caught my breath and was doing ok. I even considered turning around and trying again but I knew I could only have probably really made it to the two mile marker before I would have pooped out. I would have to walk two miles back to the car. But it really was one of those "AHA" moments when I realized that not everything is uphill all the time and if I had just hung in there a few more steps, I could have gone on a little further.

Lesson 3: The only person I am competing against is myself

As I walked back to the starting line/finish line to turn in my tag, I came to understand that it did not matter who past me up, I was in this for me and not for them. My shoe tag recorded what I did, not what they did and I was never in it to come in first, just to do it. Which someday I will, for me.

Lesson 4: Preparation is the key

Which brings me back to lesson one. You just can't fake your way through things and have it matter. You have to be prepared and know what is expected to complete "the race" which I am going to do. I am going to run a 10K some day. There are going to be hills, and surprises but correct preparation along with a fair amount of desire will help me get it done.(D&C 27:16)

I am not discouraged and for the most part my red face has gone away (until Monday when I go back to work), I got some good exercise in that morning, and now have a training plan in place for the next race. Lessons learned.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Jackson and Allie came to play on Saturday while Lori and Scott watched BYU play the Lobo's.(dang, so close) Jackson wanted me to be downstairs with him while he watched movies. I was sewing on a quilt and he asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was quilting. When he asked me what quilting was, I told him it was something that grandma's do. "Ohhhh...., quilts make monsters go away".

That is going on my wall!!

NEWS FLASH!! Winter is finished

Well, at least the quilt top is. It is called "Winter's Calm". The pattern is from the book Carren gave me for Christmas. 100 Fabulous Rotory-Cut Quilts.



Now it is time for Spring!! It has lots of pink and yellow tulips and lots of green.

My Valentine

He is the cute one behind the beautiful roses that he game me.

Address to a Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye wordy of a grace

As lang's my arm.

So begins a rather wordy address by Robert Burns to the Scottish delicacy, which was served on Saturday night at the annual Robert Burns Dinner. Ken and I thought we would give the evening a try and it was really interesting. Now the invitation said Scotitsh dress or Sunday best but what they really meant was to pull out your tartan and wear it proudly. My goodness there were some pretty impressive full kilt uniforms worn that night. And also some of the best white beards and mustaches that have ever been on BYU campus. Ken said I would never be able to get him in a kilt but I bet Kendall would have take the bait and would have the legs for it too!

This is an annual dinner that takes place all over the world and in very precise manner. Of course there was the bagpipe, but what was really great was the "piping in of the Haggis". The piper pipes in the escorts with shouldered swords, the cook, and the Haggis. Then a full dressed Scotsman recited the "Address to the Haggis" in his wonderful brouge while he slice the Haggis with a sword. There were the toast (apple juice) to Robert Burns, the laddies, the lassies and whatever else. Reciting of Burns poetry, singing, scottish jokes, and wonderful food. Yes, I did try the Haggis and yes I really liked it. If you get too squimish about the ingredients, just keep in mind that hotdogs are made of the same things.

1. I learned that you never mention that you are Irish at a table of Scots. (Why a McLaughlin and a McEntire would not be welcomed at a table of McDougal's and Macintosh's, I don't know. Just kidding everyone was nice)

2. I learned that I like Haggis My mother always made her turkey dressing with livers, necks, hearts and gizzards and that is what it tasted like

3. I learned that I really liked and had already heard Burns poetry, like "My love is like a red red rose" "Auld Lang Signe" "Annie Lauri".

4. I learned that he may have been a great poet but not a very moral man.

4. I learned a couple of silly jokes that sound much better with a brouge.

A scot was washed up on an deserted island. After he realized that he was not going to be rescued, he got busy and built a home. Then once he was done, he built a church. Then when he was done with the church, he built another church. Finally one day he was rescued. The rescuer said, "I understand why you built the house and why you built the church, but why did you build the other church." "Oh that is the one I don't attend".

Another scot was washed up on a deserted island. Just as he thought that all was over, a beautiful woman suddenly appeared and asked him if he wanted something to drink? "yes, I want some scotsh whiskey. PUFF, suddenly he had all that the whiskey he wanted. Then she asked if he wanted something to eat. "Yes, I would love some Haggis and PUFF suddenly he had all the Haggis he wanted. Then she aked if he wanted to play around. "You mean they have golf here too?"

Farewell to the Highlands by Robert Burns

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,

The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth;

Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.

Chorus.—

My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart’s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;

Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,

My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Farewell to the mountains, high-cover’d with snow,

Farewell to the straths and green vallies below;

Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods,

Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.

My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart’s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;

Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,

My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go

The Grandparent Code

If pirates can have a code, then so can grandparents. The first of my codes would be:
1. Never go longer that a month without seeing the grandkiddies.
Now I love Scott and Lori with all my heart but how can they compare with the faces of these cuties.

Allie is so good natures and loves to be touched. She giggles a lot when her clothes are changed.

She is so good natured and happy.

Jackson makes us fill so comfortable. When we come to visit, he just makes us fill so much a part of his life and just accepts us for how we are. We were eating dinner and Jackson decided to hid under the table, I put the camera under the table and snapped the shot, that is how I got the first picture. The third one he was reading "The Little Engine that Could". He is so smart.

Jacks and I were talking about sports and I told him that I would come and cheer for him when he is playing basketball. I was showing him how I could be loud by cupping my hands around my mouth. Then he got really excited and said that he had a way of making it much louder. He mumbled something about toilet paper, so I thought he was running to get the toilet paper roll. He came back with the metal rod that holds the roll and then proceeded to tell me all the different uses it has to make things loud, to play music, to whistle. It was funny but what was funnier was that he had been thinking about this "instrument" for a long time! Scott and Lori...look out!