the mom who does "nothing"

Driving home from children's choir practice today, Haylie and her friends were talking to each other- they were asking each other questions from those "conversation cards".

Brinley: "And the next question is......If you could give your mom and dad anything in the world, what would you give them?
Let's see (still Brinley)......I would give my mom a craft store that's all purple because she loves crafts and she loves the color purple, and I would give my dad a football field because he loves football!"

Brianna: "I would give my mom and dad The White House - wouldn't that be so cool?!"

Haylie (my kind, sweet, appreciative daughter): I would give my dad the University of Utah football team because he loves them, and I would give my mom........I would give my mom.......hmmm, I would give my mom......I don't know what I'd give my mom because she........doesn't.......really.......do.......anything.

our marathon girl

(Brooke's picture was in the newspaper! She is getting her medal from Miss Utah Valley.)

Last Saturday was a big day for Brooke. She ran in her first marathon (26.2 miles) and took 2nd place in her age division of 19-24! Her running time was 4:14:37. The race started at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon and ended out by the Provo airport. She ran the entire way without walking once!

While she was training, she claimed that this would be her only marathon, that she just wanted to do ONE to prove to herself that she could do it. About ten minutes after she crossed the finish line, exhaused and sore, I said to her (sarcastically), "So Brooke, when are you going to run your next marathon?" She hesitated for a second, then said, "Probably not for a little while." Ha! I think she's been bitten by the "marathon bug"! She did fantastic and we are SO proud of her!

We met up with her at about mile 23. We would drive the car a bit ahead of her, then jump out to get some pictures. John joined her for a couple of miles near the end.

(Why is that all underlined?! It won't let me change it - HELP!)

Here is a 4 minute sample of our day...

(The first part is kind of dumb - just me talking as we are waiting for Brooke at the half way point. Apparently we missed her by 3 minutes. We realized this after sitting there on a bench coated with ice for 40 minutes. Luckily we finally caught up with her! I think the video will be worth your time :) You may even feel like you're watching the Olympics!

Well, actually, maybe not...)

a little hint...

This next blog entry is taking me forever (anyone know how to download a home movie onto my computer?!), so I thought I'd just give a little sample of what I am trying to blog about. Here's the hint:

will it ever end?

I took these photos in my front garden this morning, Monday, April 7th.

DOES ANYONE, BESIDES ME, SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THESE PICTURES?!?

the glass castle

My sister-in-law, Betsy, recently gave me this amazing book. It's been quite a while since I read a book that entranced me like The Glass Castle. I would think about it all day and I couldn't wait until evening when I could get the kids in bed so that I could dive into it again. When I got near the end I would read only 1-2 pages a night because I didn't want it to be over. I was addicted!

It is so well written. You feel almost like you are living with the Walls family. It is written by the daughter, Jeannette, and is the story of her upbringing along with her two siblings. I don't even know how to describe her parents: disfunctional, selfish, loving(?), and impoverish are words that come to my mind.

Their situation is ugly in so many ways, and yet you become so endeared to these children and so full of hope that their lives will improve. I truly was touched by their love and loyalty to each other, and all they did for each other to try to make life bearable. I also really admired how the author wrote with true love and affection for both the mom and the dad, even though they were both so abominable behaved. You could sense her love for them even in their worst behaved hours. To this day, Jeannette still loves and supports her parents, after all the nightmares they put her through. It's a fine example of unconditional love.

I thought it was an amazing book that I highly recommend (with a bit of warning: the language can get, well, colorful to say the least. However the story needs this. Without it, one would not get a full grasp of what kind of man her father really was).

correction

In my previous blog entry, I reported some incorrect information. I stated that the box of carmels contained 18 luscious pieces caramel. I have re-checked the situation and upon further investigation I have found that there were actually 32 (thirty-two) pieces of the delictable confection. I shamefully regret the error.

seize the moment....then stop!

I really need to get a grip. If I have any yummy treat in front of me, and if I know that I won't be able to stop after eating just ONE, then I tell myself that I shouldn't even start - I should just completely abstain from any of it. I've been telling myself this for a very long time, but apparently I haven't learned to take my own advice. Case in point...

Our anniversary last week. My thoughtful sister-in-law, Julie, gave John and me a box (to share) of the most divine caramels from "V Chocolates." Two layers of 9 delectable caramels in the box (totaling 18 caramels). We are now down to only three left. (Oh sorry, now it's two... mmmm.) I sheepishly confess that my husband has had only ONE bite. No, I don't mean one caramel, I mean one bite of one caramel. I have eaten the rest. It's shameful, I know. (And it's not that he didn't love that one bite, the boy just has self-control whereas his wife is out-of-control.)

Some with nuts (almonds, macadamia, walnuts), and some without- all dipped or drizzled in a delicate and rich dark chocolate....sigh.

Inside the box, where, underneath this flap, lies the next best thing to heaven.

Okay, Maryanne (slap!), seize the moment- NOT the entire box!

21 and counting

This past Friday John and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. It's impossible to believe we've been married that long! But, I must admit, when I think back on our wedding day it seems like several lifetimes ago.

March 14, 1987

Lookin' good, 80's style! (Who are these two......babies?!)

To celebrate, we went to the Salt Lake Temple where we were sealed back in '87, then to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants - Tiburon (where the dining is truly "fine!").

Mmmm, baked Camembert cheese with sliced apples and balsamic vinegar. Divine!

John gave me this beautiful Arnold Friberg print, "Peace Be Still." I have always wanted this one - I love it! We had a really great day together :)

(I am guessing that John wasn't quite ready when Raegan took this picture!)

mom, come find me!

Adam was in my bedroom calling me...."Mom, come find me, I'm hiding!"

This is what I found when I got into the room. There he was, standing in the corner with a milk box over his head, holding perfectly still, and thinking that he was completely concealed!

"Oh no, I can't believe you found me mom! How did you know I was under this box?"

a warning for parents....

While talking with the poison control center about Adam's "gummy vitamin feast", the woman seemed very concerned as to whether or not the vitamins contained iron. I didn't asked her what would have happened had they contained iron, but I have since researched the answer to that question.

What I found has mortified me and made me realize how blessed we are that there was no iron in these vitamin "candies". I now know why she was so concerned about the iron. This is what I found:

"Accidental iron overdose is a leading cause of poisoning deaths in children under 6 in the United States. Almost 17 percent of children's deaths reported to the poison control centers during a recent four year span were due to iron poisoning."

"The iron products involved in the poisonings ranged from non-prescription daily vitamin/mineral supplements for children to high-potency iron supplements for pregnant women. In some cases, the iron products were left within the child's reach in uncapped or loosely capped containers. In others, the child managed to open the container, even though in some cases it appeared to be in child-resistant packaging. In some cases, a sibling opened the container."

"The children were poisoned after consuming as few as five iron-containing tablets. Death occurred from ingesting as little as 200 mg of iron."

I personally take iron supplements daily for iron enemia. The tablets are in a child-proof bottle (which doesn't necessarily mean Adam-proof!), but after reading this they have been moved to a much safer location. I had no idea.....