And he's off....

Yesterday Landon woke up at 5 am and headed down to "the valley". It was his first time making the drive alone and I was a little nervous about it, but I knew I had to let him go. He's 17 and will probably leave for college next year then in two short years he will be off on a mission to who knows where in the world. I know allowing his independence now is important preparation for him (and me) for when he is really off on his own. But even knowing all of that I was still very happy to receive this text from him.....

It says, "Hey I made it in one piece." Music to a mother's ears. In "the valley" he met up with his friends and they headed up to Utah, on their own with no parents. How's that for independence? So I was very, very pleased to receive this text last night....

It says, "Hey I'm in Utah now." Whew! The major driving is over for now and everyone is safe. Now if 17 year old boys can stay out of trouble for a week on their own all will be well. I told Landon to keep me posted so hopefully I'll be receiving many more of those mind easing text messages throughout the week. I love being a mom. Each stage of my children's lives bring new excitement. It's a never ending adventure.

Home from Vegas....

I didn't get my camera out until we were leaving. We snapped these shots in the condo just before checkout.

Vegas was a lot of fun mostly because of the company of family and friends. Visiting the strip was interesting, but being with kids really accentuated the SIN of Sin City. There were times we had to tell the kids not to look down because the streets were littered with nasty "girly" cards and my nephew said, "all of the buses here have girls on them." That part of Vegas has gotten worse from when I was there last (about nine years ago). While the buildings and sites are impressive, I miss the old Vegas of my youth. The strip of neon and flashing lights when you entered town was magical. We drove down the old part of the strip near Fremont Street and while it was fun to see the old glitz, the area has gotten pretty trashy. If I was wealthy enough to go see all of the great shows, Vegas might seem a little more appealing, but as for now I don't really care to go back again.

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Hanging out at the condo was fun though. We swam everyday and Jamie and Waylon got great tans and other than a few pink shoulders, the rest of us avoided sunburn. Hooray! One of my great accomplishments as a mother is that my kids have never been badly sunburned. Marlee often asks me if I think she will look like me when she gets older. I tell her that she will look much better than I do because she has never been sunburned. They say most sun damage happens before we reach 20 and Marlee will be 15 in Oct. so she's on a great road to avoiding that nasty sun induced premature aging, lucky girl! Paige will be 13 next month and her shoulders just recently peeled for the first time. She said, "mom something really weird is happening to my skin." She didn't even know what it was to peel. I sluffed off my entire body of skin like a snake several times a year when I was growing up. Rick and I both have one foot in the grave from all of the sun exposure we've had in our lives. I'm so glad that my kids have been protected from that. It really does make me proud.

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Speaking of swimming~ I had a funny conversation with Waylon at the pool one day. He was sitting on my lap facing me and he said, "Mom if you eat all of your food your boobs will get bigger." (we always tell him that his muscles will get big if he eats all of his food. I guess he figured the same applies for boobs. Don't I wish!) I told him that no my boobs are just small and they are going to stay that way. He said, "Well Aunt so and so (name left out to protect the innocent) has really giant boobs." I said yes she does and he said, "Yah, they go boom botta, boom botta, boom botta."

What?!! Where does he get this stuff? I told Rick not to be surprised if when Waylon starts dating he brings home girls with a lot of "boom botta".

The only gambling we did in Vegas is when we bought this circus ticket a day in advance for my sister. We gambled on whether or not she would still be there the next night to go with us. We lost. She went home a day early and we were out the $19.50 we spent on the ticket. Oh well I guess a twenty dollar loss in Vegas isn't too bad. The circus was fun though. We went with our good friends the Crabtrees. They live in Nevada and it was so great to see them.

All in all it was a wonderful trip. Oh how I love summer break!

Pioneer Trek 2008

Landon and Marlee went on a Pioneer Trek Thurs. June 5th- Sat. the 7th. It was a difficult but amazing experience for both of them. After hearing all of the horror stories of the trip, like the fact that they didn't get to camp the first night until two in the morning, I thought for sure they would be very grumpy when they returned home. But when I went to pick them up at the church I saw nothing but smiles from them and all of the other youth and leaders. It was very touching to hear a beautiful chorus of "Come, Come Ye Saints" coming from the buses as they pulled into the church parking lot. I'm so proud of my kids and grateful that they were able to have this life changing opportunity.

Before the trek they were all clean and spiffy and ready to tackle the world (We found Marlee's dress at an antique store. It's a Jessica McClintock Gunne Sax dress from the seventies. And it just happened to be her perfect size. We got very lucky on that one.)

I love this after picture. They're not really mad, they just posed this way because they said that pioneers didn't smile in photos. I think if it was taken in black and white it would look quite authentic.

They were dirty, tired and hungry, but spiritually enriched and forever changed.

Happy Birthday Larisa!!!

Today is my sister Larisa's birthday. I can't post a picture right now (my scanner is broken), but I wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday anyway because I love her soooo much!
Happy Birthday Larisa!

THE HUSBAND TAG....

Tag, I'm it....
I've been tagged to tell a little bit about my hubby, so here goes...

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A- Automobile of choice? Shelby Cobra


B- Born? July 14


C- Cookies or Candy? Cookies- white chocolate macadamia nut


D- Date of Choice? Going out to dinner.


E- Essential Item? Food and water


F- Favorite Foods? Blackened prime rib from Charley Clark's and Barro's pizza and wings


G- Gas or Diesel vehicle? Gas


H- Hobbies? Racquetball, computer games, cooking


I- Ice Cream Flavor? Black licorice


J- Job? Business owner~ sign shops, car washes and storage units


K- Kids? 2 boys, 4 girls


L- Last Vacation as a couple? Flagstaff


M- Morning person or night owl? Both


N- Number of Siblings? 2 brothers


O- OCD or sloppy? In between


P- Pet Peeves? Stupid drivers, telemarketers


Q- Quiet or Loud? Loud


R- Restaurant? Baci Italian Bistro (best little hole in the wall on the corner of Williams field and Power in Gilbert)


S- Sports? To play: racquetball, tennis, basketball~ To watch: Ultimate fighting and basketball


T- Tight wad or spender? Both


U- Unknown Fact about him? He's not really bald, he just shaves his hair in a circular pattern~ and he's a computer genius.


V- Vegetables? Fresh corn on the cob


W- Worst Habit? Drinks too much soda


X- Xtra Curricular activities in high school? Football, basketball, track,~ parking at Patterson's pond.


Y- Your favorite things about him? He is a hard worker and helps a lot around the house. He adores me and tells me I'm beautiful everyday. He is selfless~ sports and "guy" activities always come second to family. He is generous and loves to help people. He is a people person and has a great sense of humor. He encourages me in all I do. I could go on and on, he's just the best.


Z - Zodiac Sign? Cancer
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Tag, you're it!!!

Summertime fun....

We had a great time at camp with only one minor incident where I found myself seeing red. I do love red. It is absolutely my favorite color, but I rarely get riled up enough for red flames to fill my eyes the way they did the last day of camp. In fact when I told Rick and Landon about it at the dinner table that night they both looked at me in disbelief and said, "You yelled at someone?" Yes I did (well talked very sternly that is), but it was for a justified reason that I would love to share but can't because I live in a small town and that would be gossip so I will refrain even though it's an interesting story.
With camp out of the way, I now need to get very serious about getting my two oldest ready for the pioneer trek that's going to take place in a few days (A FEW DAYS!!!) I still have to modify two dresses, sew some bloomers and an apron, find a hat and take care of a bunch of other stuff that I have blocked from my memory at this moment because it's just too darn stressful. I also failed to read an instruction letter until this morning that asked for parents to write a special letter to their kids and turn it in by May 31. Hmmm, it's now June 2nd....
Good times! I can't wait until the madness is over and I can enjoy myself on a real vacation. Soaking up the rays and pigging out at the buffets with my family in Vegas baby. Thanks Ben and Mindy for putting the "share" in time share. It's gonna be awesome!

Girl's Camp or Bust...

This Week: Something blue....

Here I am in my blue camp shirt. I'm so excited to go to girl's camp with Marlee and Paige this year. We're gonna have a blast!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Marlee had her eighth grade graduation last night. She looked gorgeous in this vintage dress that we found at an antique store (it's even prettier in person). She finished off her look with a vintage hat and jewelry that we also found at an antique store. We may not have modern conveniences in this little town, but at least we can find cute antiques.

It's official-- look out high school her she comes!

Way to go Marlee!!! We're proud of you!

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Paige sang with the choir at the graduation. And speaking of Paige and choir, we need to give a big congratulations shout out to Paige for being selected for next years junior high show choir. It's a really fun choir to be a part of. Where most school choirs simply stand on the risers and sing, the show choir sings and dances and participates in extra performances including a brownie social at the end of the year. This year they also put on a melodrama but I don't know if that is something they plan to do again. Paige had to audition for her spot in the choir and she nailed it. I was so proud of her! She is beyond excited to have been chosen--way to go Paige!!!

Up, up and away....

I was considering deleting my "Borrowed" post because there is this part of me that doesn't like to admit that I am in a funkadinka, but I decided to ignore my ego and let it stay. I want to document these moments of my life, the good and the bad, for myself and for anyone else who might benefit from them. I know for a certainty that I am not the only one who experiences a spiritual funk from time to time. That is why we are commanded to endure to the end because the temptation to give up is forever present and we have to fight for what we want. And I want spirituality, I need spirituality so I'll never go down without swinging.
I’ve been brought to a place in my life where I am being forced to explore deeper levels of myself. The things that I thought defined me are being challenged and it’s time for me to show what I’m made of. It’s sink or swim time baby and I’ve got to start paddling. As part of my game plan I am reading, “Organizing for Life, declutter your mind to declutter your world”.

It’s fabulous! I recommend it for the organizationally challenged like me.
The author also has a website http://www.messies.com/ and it’s full of great tips for “messies” like me. I am going to implement one of her plans to see if it helps to get me out of my funk. Here is what she suggests:
Make a strong take-off every day. A good take-off sets the tone of the day. When you:

WAKE UP —

set a time

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JUMP UP —

don’t lie in bed, there’s a wonderful world waiting

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MAKE UP —

the bed immediately, automatically

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EAT UP —

something nutritious

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WASH UP —

bathe body or wash face

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BRUSH UP —

take care of your teeth

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DRESS UP —

completely from head to toe including hair, shoes,

and makeup of some kind on your face

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LOOK UP —

somewhere during the day you need to turn your heart upward to God

(a great way to start the day)

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Add any other steps you may need to your flight plan, like TAKE A WALK. They don’t have to end with UP.

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So to my list I added:

FIRM UP—

get some exercise everyday

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WRITE UP—

take time to write daily

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READ UP—

expand your mind with a good book

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I'm already pretty good about doing a lot of these like waking up and jumping up in the morning. I get a big fat F in the make up the bed department, but that's something I want to change. It's hit or miss on the eat something nutritious, but I usually am good about the wash up, brush up and dress up part of my day. Normally I'm great at the Look up part as well, but as I mentioned before I've been in a funk so this will be good for me. The firm up, write up, and read up are all things that make me feel alive so I know if I work on them everyday I'll be much happier.

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I also know that no matter how big a funk we might find ourselves in, it is so easy to come back to putting spiritual things first in our lives. The other day I was feeling quite low so I grabbed the book, "Jesus the Christ" off of my end table, opened to a random page and started reading.

Soon I was sobbing as I read the words of my Savior and felt his tender love for me. His love is perfect, unconditional and always available if we will simply take the time to seek it.

Borrowed strength....

This week: Something borrowed....

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I borrowed the following quote from an LDS conference talk given by President Eyring (I also borrowed it from a fellow blogger who posted it and brought it to my remembrance, so it's a double borrow).

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"But the spirit who led the rebellion in the world before still opposes the plan and wants you to be miserable. He wants you never to find your way home again. That enemy of your soul knows you and your goodness. He knows that if he can turn you away from walking in the light, he can both capture you and stop you from helping others along the journey. He knows how good you are and your power to teach and influence hundreds of Heavenly Father's children in this life—and thousands over the generations that will follow your path. If he can get you to wander away from the light on your journey, he can do harm and bring misery to many."

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Boy did I need to hear that. I feel like I've been under attack lately. I have been so tempted to be miserable, to separate myself from everything that brings me light, hope and joy. I go through many of my days estranged from the Lord, resisting scripture study and prayer and concerning myself far too much with the things of the world. I know I can't continue this way and be happy. I am miserable without the strength of my Savior. So at this time I am Borrowing from others who are not in a funk right now. People like my wonderful visiting teacher who shared with me her insight on the story of when Jesus walked on the sea....

Matt. 14: 22-33

22 ¶ And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

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My visiting teacher shared her thoughts on how while Peter kept his eyes on the Savior he was able to stay on top of the water, but when he focused on the boisterous wind and waves he became frightened and sank into the sea. She likened this to the turmoil that arises in our lives and how if we keep our eyes on the Savior we are strengthened, but when we turn away and focus on the troubles around us we can fall into despair.

I know that I have been focusing too much on the boisterous wind and waves in my life when what I should be doing is turning my gaze toward the Lord. So I am going to continue forward, Borrowing strength from the good people around me, from the scriptures, church magazines and meetings. And from my ultimate source of strength, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.




Ether 12: 27

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Hurry home....

They say a watched pot never boils and I guess the same is true about a watched clock never moving forward if your waiting for something to happen, but every time I look at this clock I can't help but think of my sister-in-law Cameo, because going to buy it was one of the last things we did together before she, my brother Lynn and their three wonderful children moved away. They headed out for Colorado yesterday and I am soooo sad. The good news is that they will be back in a year and a half, but in the meantime we are going to miss them so much. They were the family pioneers, the first to buy a home in Snowflake. My brother Ben and his family came next followed by us shortly after. We have loved living near them, getting together every chance we could get and watching the cousins become the best of friends. It's going to be hard not to keep my eye on that clock waiting for their return, but I wish them the best of luck in Colorado and send all of my love and prayers out to them.

The kids and I made these travel boxes full of activities and treats for a going away present. I mention them because blogging has really opened my heart and mind to the joy and fun of giving. I have been inspired by kind acts that I have read about on other blogs and so appreciate the sharing of ideas. I have always been a compassionate thinker but I lose it somewhere before I get to the compassionate doing part of it, but the stories that others have shared have really gotten me excited about being a doer. Thank you all of you compassionate thinking and doing fellow bloggers--you have changed my life!

The Snowflake cousins (minus Landon). Come back and join us soon Johnson kiddos! We miss you!

Mercy me...

The 102 thing about me is that I am a serious proofreader. I read and re-read until I know it's right. I guess it comes from being a writer. I can edit my novel 500 times and still find things that are wrong. So I got a chuckle when I was going over my 100 things about me post again and noticed that I said merciless love instead of merciful love (I quickly changed it). It got me thinking that I sure am glad that our Heavenly Father and Savior's love is not merciless or man would we all be in trouble. Much like my Jamie is lucky that my love for her is not merciless because last night after we all went to bed she snuck out and had her own personal little TV party, snacks and all, until three in the morning. She said she wanted to see if she could stay up all night without anyone knowing. She might have gotten away with it if she hadn't come down for more snacks and gotten spooked by the ice maker. She ran into our room and said, "There's something scary in the kitchen!" After waking up to comfort her I realized that she had been up the whole time and ordered her to bed.
"Can't I finish my show first?" she asked me.
Are you kidding me? I remained firm, but inside I was cracking up. That is so Jamie. She was the queen of the house, having the time of her life. I love her spunky spirit.
This morning she slept in until I finally had to wake her for school (she has afternoon kindergarten). I told her that she needed to wake up for school and she asked if she had morning school today. I told her that it was her regular school time and that she had just slept the morning away. She said, "Oh, so that's why you don't want me to stay up so late."
Lesson learned. She went to bed right on time tonight, no questions asked.

Something new...

This week's SPT: Something new.

Well I didn't plan for this to be my something new, but Saturday Rick and I had to go to "the valley" for a few things and while visiting my favorite salon I got a wild hair (literally). So here's my something new....

ME!!!

I know. I barely recognize myself.

Who says blonds have more fun?

My 100 things...

The 101 thing about me is that I love to copy a good idea. So after reading Cedar's and Mindy's 100 things, I decided to give it a try-- here goes....

~100 THINGS ABOUT ME~

1. I am an Arizona native
2. My ancestors were among the first settlers of Mesa and other Az cities.
3. I am the third of seven children
4. I was a “surprise” (I say accident but my mom doesn’t like that)
5. My older sister and I are only a year apart.
6. I was born with dark hair. Then it changed to blond. Now it’s back to dark, but I make it blond.
7. I desperately need my roots done.
8. I’m considering going dark brown and being done with the whole root business.
9. I won student body vice president in 6th grade because I gave a killer speech, even though I was normally very shy and quiet (see #s 98 and 99 for explanation). I quickly discovered that politics was not for me (meetings and work—yuck!)
10. In eighth grade I discovered that I was good at long distance running, but turned down a chance to run with the varsity team my freshman year (extra training and hard work—yuck!)
11. I regret that I never strived for greatness.
12. I would love to start running again and train for a half marathon.
13. We never moved while I was growing up. I lived in the same house from age 1 to 20 (except for some time away at college and a summer apartment with friends).
14. I drove a VW Karmann Ghia in high school and college.
15. I was a daddy’s girl and could talk to him for hours on end.
16. I have had the privilege of speaking with my deceased relatives.
17. I’m not a medium or psychic, I believe anyone can talk to the deceased.
18. I met my husband at Mesa Community College in Spanish class.
19. I don’t speak Spanish.
20. My parents sent me away to Rick’s college to meet a good man (in hopes of steering me away from my high school boyfriend).
21. I had already met a good man (Rick, my now hubby) at home, so while I was away I wouldn’t date the same guy more than twice and I didn’t kiss anyone.
22. The first time I kissed Rick it was electric and we made out (kissing only) for over three hours. Crazy.
23. During a bout of insanity I returned for a second semester at Ricks College.
24. I went home for Thanksgiving and got engaged.
25. Three months later I was married.
26. I was the recipient of a miracle that I would love to talk about but can’t.
27. I have an absolute testimony of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
28. I have always dreamed of being a mother.
29. I had my first baby 13 months after I got married.
30. I have been pregnant 8 times, which would have resulted in 9 babies.
31. I’ve had two miscarriages.
32. I am the mother of 6 (two boys, four girls)
33. I’ve always loved baby boys (I always made my dolls be boys)
34. I wanted to be the mother of 9 boys.
35. I love being the mother of girls.
36. Little boys still melt my heart.
37. I have been blessed with a great deal of patience and rarely get my feathers ruffled. Except for….
38. When I’m involved in a project or want something changed or moved—I want it RIGHT NOW! And can’t wait for help.
39. I’ve moved heavy furniture and the piano by myself many times and have broken the leg off of a dining room table and dinged many a finish because I was too impatient to wait for help.
40. I am a S.H.E. (sidetracked home executive)
41. I lack time management skills. Therefore….
42. I am almost always running late.
43. I like driving with my kids.
44. I hate driving on high, winding roads or bridges.
45. My or my children’s lives will have to be at stake before I will drive the Salt River Canyon again.
46. I am a member of the American Night Writers Association.
47. I love to write.
48. I have written a novel, but am stuck in revisions (I’m in a funk)
49. Writing poetry is my favorite especially children’s books written in verse.
50. I enjoy writing talks.
51. I showed up late the night Rick proposed because I was engrossed in helping my sister write an essay for school (at least he knew what he was getting).
52. I love Sunday afternoon naps.
53. I’ve been taking Synthroid every morning for about 12 years for hypothyroidism, but….
54. I have been blessed with incredible health and am rarely sick.
55. I am a night owl, but….
56. I hate sleeping in, so….
57. I don’t get enough sleep.
58. Waking up at the crack of dawn for yard sales is one of my favorite things to do.
59. I love to treasure hunt in thrift stores too.
60. I love taking old, ugly things and making them pretty and useful.
61. I love to decorate, but…
62. I have been uninspired in the decorating of my new home.
63. I desperately miss my yard sale and thrift store hunting trips.
64. I miss the city but…
65. I am starting to feel much better about my new life.
66. I enjoy working with the Young Women at church. They keep me young.
67. I want to eat better and exercise so I can keep feeling young.
68. I love healthy food that tastes like the goodness of the earth, but…
69. I love junk food too and it’s easier.
70. I love how I feel when I get regular exercise, but…
71. I hate to exercise regularly.
72. I like exercising with friends, but…
73. I like sitting around and eating with friends more.
74. I have imaginary friends a.k.a. other bloggers, strangers that I read about regularly.
75. I think it would be fun to meet my imaginary friends someday.
76. I am terrible about calling friends but once I do…
77. I can talk on the phone for hours.
78. I love my laptop and call it my precious (like Gollum and the Ring).
79. I love many kinds of music. From spiritual, classical, big band, and Josh Groban types… to rock, pop, alternative, and almost anything 80s, but I’m not too fond of Country. Although…
80. I like watching country music videos because I think cowboys are hot. But…
81. I wouldn’t want Rick to be a cowboy because….
82. I love how much Rick and I have in common including our taste in music (except for Josh Groban, Rick hates him) besides…
83. Rick’s broad shoulders, bald head and goatee remind me of a biker dude and…
84. I think biker dudes are hot. Although….
85. I’m most attracted to Rick when I’m sitting next to him in church while he is dressed in his crisp white shirt and tie.
86. My heart leaps to know that I am married to a man who loves the Lord as much as I do.
87. I love bald heads especially my hubby’s. If his hair could be restored tomorrow I’d beg him not to do it.
88. I love snuggling up and watching TV with Rick especially the food network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives—yummy!
89. I love going out to eat.
90. I pretty much love any kind of food.
91. I don’t like sugary candy but I love chocolate and….
92. I can’t say no to a pastry, but….
93. I like salty, savory more than sweet.
94. I am a good cook but I don’t enjoy it.
95. I am the queen of throwing a meal together without prior thought or preparation.
96. I love shoes, but not those that require socks. I hate socks.
97. I love being with my kids and enjoy summer break more than the school year.
98. I can be shy one on one but…
99. I don’t mind speaking to large groups.
100. I am generally an optimistic girl who loves God, family, and country. I am grateful for my gifts, talents, and blessings as well as my tests and trials for they have all, the good and the bad, brought me greater understanding and love for my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. I love to testify of them. Of their goodness and glory, their merciful love and their wonderful plan of happiness. They live and because I know this—my life is bliss.

Luau...

Yesterday Jamie and I went to a special Mother's Day Luau at her school.

I enjoyed watching her perform her cute Hawaiian songs and dances and she was so sweet to serve me cake and punch. But the highlight of the night was definitely....

THE LIMBO!

How low...

Can you go?