Our Thanksgiving Holiday

Okay, so I had to do this in three installments, but it came out okay, after all! Our Thanksgiving Holiday was the best ever! Our feast was delicious & plentiful (thank you, Dinner Market!) We had a great time after eating (which you will see in the following photos.) Friday all the girls (Rhonda, Synda, Bethany, Jordan & Madison) spurned Black Friday and went to a movie instead. We saw "New Moon" which caused me to say, "If I were to wear a Twilight t-shirt (which I am not, I'm just saying...) it would have to say, JACOB'S HOT! EDWARD'S NOT!

Saturday we had family photos done and everyone showed up almost on time and almost smiling! The pictures are wonderful (thank you, Tammy) and will be posted soon. We had lots of good food, good company, and good fun. Oh, and let's not forget that BYU won THE BALL GAME. And that made at least half of us very happy. Much to be thankful for, indeed. Hope you all had a great holiday, as well!

Time Honored Traditions

1. Thowing all the stuffed animals down Grandma's stairs minutes after arriving.

2. Mauling our dad and not giving him a minute's peace.

3. Smiling for Mom's camera...even when you don't want to.

4. Trying to look pleasant when you would rather be watching football.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dane & Slater relax while waiting for Dad & Mom to get ready to go home.

Slater & Dane always celebrate arriving at Grandma's by throwing all my stuffed animals down the stairs. Then they take turns burying each other in animals. If you look closely, you will see Dane's eye and nose in the lower right hand corner. Yep, that's him!

After our Thanksgiving feast we enjoyed some family time. It was "Wii fun!"

No, they hadn't been drinking...just playing Wii Music.

Holiday Cheer

I just want to wish everyone the happiest of Thanksgivings this year and thank you all for your love and friendship. That is what makes Thanksgiving, in my opinion, the most wonderful time of the year.

Psalm 92:1-2

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I actually woke up this morning thinking about something worth-while! Thanksgiving! It has always been one of my favorite holidays; no hype; no pressure; lots of good food and good cheer; a chance to reflect on how blessed we have been the past year. I think it is really sad how Thanksgiving gets less and less attention as the years go by. It seems to me that Thanksgiving is skipped over almost entirely and we go straight from Halloween to Christmas. So to avoid this in my life, I am posting my top ten reasons to be thankful this year.

1) I have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. Without this I would be lost.

2) I have a wonderful husband and family who love me in spite of all my foibles and weaknesses.

3) I have many great friend (both old and new) who put up with me and seem to enjoy my company.

4) I haven't been in the hospital once this year (knock on wood!)

5) I can still be productive (somewhat) and give service to others.

6) I have a warm, comfortable, and safe home which allows me to "share space" on occasion, with others who are "visiting or passing through."

7) I also have a great extended family on both sides (Sid's and mine) that are kind and supportive.

8) Everyone in my family who wants to work has at least one job!

9) We have two vehicles that are in good working order.

10) Last, but certainly not least, I am blessed to live in the most beautiful country in the world and have the most freedom afforded anywhere.

Reflections on Vampires

I will be the first to admit that I have, on occasion, been enamored of vampires. But always the "harmless", tortured kind who hated what they were. First it was Angel, the one true love of Buffy. Next was the short-lived but oh-so-sexy Mick St. John of Moonlight. But, I must confess, that I never was a great fan of Edward, being of the Jacob persuasion, and as far as the new sensations on True Blood and Vampire Diaries, I can honestly say that I have never indulged.

All the current hoopla over vampires has made me ponder the question, "What is it that attracts otherwise sane women to these types of stories?" I have come up with a few possible answers. [Come on, folks, cut me some slack here. I have been sick, after all!]

1) We are drawn in by the bad boy with honest intentions myth. You know, the one that says that all he really needs is a good woman to save him and turn his life around...even if it means ending hers as she knows it.

2) We are intrigued by thoughts of a love that will last for eternity, even though most of us already have that in our lives. Somehow it seems more exciting if it is forbidden.

3) The stories, of necessity, are always about star-crossed lovers who can never REALLY be together, for obvious reasons. The vampire, who is always male, hesitates, or even refuses, to "turn" the female because he hates what he is; loves what she is; and, doesn't want to change her. One exception is Stephanie Meyers work, which was ruined for me by the "happily-ever -after" ending.

Having said all that, yes, I will be seeing "New Moon". After all, you can't beat a good werewolf story! And besides, Jacob is my choice!

PS

This is what happens when you can't get out for days on end...your mind runs amok!

The "Blessings" of Being Sick

Okay, I am starting on my second week of being under "house arrest" and feeling less than good. I have done more than my share of whining and "grinching" so I decided today that I would look on the positive side of things. So here are my thoughts:

1) Because of all those late night/early morning hours of not sleeping I have finished reading P & P and am ready for book club, should I be well enough to attend!

2) I have had plenty of opportunity to re-view all the classic movies from the '80's (you know, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, The Breakfast Club, etc., etc.) and all I can say on that subject is, "What was I thinking to let my kids watch these?" At the same time I have to admit that they all still have a certain appeal. Who can forget, "Oh sexy girlfriend!" Or "Sam's got her boobies, and they are so perky!"

3) I have had ample time to ponder the wonder of simple things that we take for granted like: breathing; laughing without coughing; sleeping through the night; enjoying food; being able to carry on a conversation and breathe at the same time; going wherever I want whenever I want to go!

4) I now feel perfectly justified in ordering Thanksgiving Dinner from Dinner Market (formerly My Girlfriend's Kitchen) instead of preparing it myself. Germs, you know!

5) And last, but certainly not least, I have been touched by all the kind concern and well-wishes expressed by friends and family. I am, indeed, a richly blessed woman!

More on Pride and Prejudice

Having been sick the last few days [and nights] I have had more opportunity to read. I confess that I am finally getting in to P & P. Although my original opinion of the characters hasn't changed much, I AM finding the story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy compelling and interesting. However, I am eternally grateful that I was born in the good old USA in the 20th century and not in England in the 19th [which I am supposing the story is set in]. Can you imagine being bound by such rigid social rules! No wonder English people still look on Americans as rude and brash. No wonder we still think they are a bunch of stuffed shirts! Oops! Am I being prideful or prejudiced?

Indoor Plumbing

Today I want to sing the praises of indoor plumbing. Don't get me wrong...I have always had indoor plumbing...I'm not THAT old. But I haven't always appreciated it like I do now. Can you even imagine dealing with ANY kind of digestive "issues" in an outhouse? I would never stop gagging, to say the least!
The bathroom pictured above (a true "water closet") has saved my bacon (not to mention my pride) more times than I can count as I have rushed home doing the "potty dance" because I waited too long between visits to "you-know-what." Thankfully, this particular convenience is just steps away from my car.

When I wake up in the morning, sometimes I feel like I have been run over by a Mac truck, in spite of the fact that Sid and I have a brand new (almost) bed. On mornings like that (which, the older I get, seem to happen more and more often) a twenty or thirty minute HOT shower is the only answer. I hope Al Gore doesn't read this blog! But I guess when it's all said and done a daily twenty minute shower beats a daily trip to the doctor any day! This is a picture of my cleanest bathroom. How blessed I am to have four (4) bathrooms IN MY HOUSE.

Thoughts on "Pride & Prejudice"

Okay, I admit that I am reading "Pride & Prejudice" for the first time! And, furthermore, I admit that I am only reading it now because of book club. But it is even worse than that...I am definitely NOT liking it! What is wrong with me?

Granted, I am not very far into it...about Chapter Eight...but all the women (so far) are boring and insipid. All the men are either stupid or annoying, or both! I am aware of the plot and the theme...after all, I have seen at least two of the movie versions, but my question is this, "What makes 'classic' literature 'classic' and who gets to decide?"

Another question would have to be, "Were women truly that dumb?" And let's not forget, "Could you really get so sick that you couldn't be moved for days by riding in the rain?" Sheesh! I'm glad I didn't live back then! Wish me luck with finishing it!

I am also reading Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" and liking it much better, though I now have to question Mr. Brown's motives for writing the things he does.

Reflection on a Sunday Afternoon

Today I have much to wonder about. Any comments on my wondering are welcome! I wonder how three people raised in the same home by the same parents can be so different. I wonder how parents can ever make up for the mistakes they are bound to make while raising their children. I wonder why it takes some of us so long to really learn the things the things we thought we always knew. I wonder how God can be so patient with all His children.

I also have much to 'wonder' about in another sense. I 'wonder' that I feel such love and acceptance in my ward. I 'wonder' that throughout my life I have been so loved by family, friends, and most of all...a loving Heavenly Father. I 'wonder' that, even in my darkest hours, I have always felt loved. I 'wonder' that the Savior loved us all enough to suffer our pains, grief, and guilt. I 'wonder' that the gospel has been restored and that I am part of it.

I wish you all a 'wonder-full' Sabbath