Italian Adventure...Part 452

Crossing the ocean blue on our way back to the mainland. I love ferries and oceans and wind blowing your hair dramatically. I especially love all those things "Italian" style.

My new shoes that I thought I had broken in were not so broken in. And when I went to bandage things up, I discovered I had bought a box of fabulous neon Band-Aids. I looked like a walking Vegas billboard.

Really...you are still reading. Bravo for enduring to the end. I've decided the rest of our trip might need to be summarized in this last blog because I have so many other things to talk about! So here you are...5 days of Italy in one blog.

I can't remember what day we are on...

We arrived in a little town called Cosenza that had been one of the areas C. served in when he was a missionary. He had some amazing experiences in this city that included the conversion of a wonderful man named Maurizio. C. has been back to Italy several times and has kept in contact through the years with this friend. He was anxious to see him and introduce me to this person who has had such an impact on his life.

Maurizio picked us up at the train station and drove us to our hotel. It felt strange to ride in a car after so many days of trains. And I have to say that this hotel took the prize. We ended up in a suite that really was pretty dreamy. I was terrified they had given us the wrong room or that we would discover it was the wrong room when we had to empty our children' college savings the next day to pay for it. It was really nice. We "freshened" up and then went back down to meet Maurizio again. He drove us to his little cafe/restaurant that he owns and fed us heaping mounds of delicious food. C. and he talked and I listened and nodded and just kept eating. It was yummy!

This picture is Maurizio is his "bar" (restaurant). Two days in a row he heaped mounds of food on our plates and kept us eating. I am eternally bonded to him.

Just a side note...I loved watching my husband speak Italian. Not only is he really good at it, but he talks like a real Italian. Animation, hands swinging, head nodding...it was really fun to watch. And occasionally I thought I understood a word or two.

This is me lounging in our "suite". It was a heavenly little place!

After a delightful rest in our "suite", Maurizio picked us up the following day and took us to church. It was "district" conference so it was a perfect day to visit. I think there were probably about 50 people there altogether including members, missionaries, mission presidency, and district leaders. It was probably my most favorite day of the entire vacation. I couldn't understand a word of the meeting, but the Spirit was so strong. Afterwards, because so many of them had travelled such long distances, they had a huge meal and we were immediately invited. I kissed more cheeks and shook more hands and felt more welcome than I have in many other meetinghouses. I admire these members so much. They are a small minority in Italy and many are first generation members. They stand steadfast and immovable in their families, neighborhoods and communities without alot of support. The missionaries we met were so impressive. I was truly impressed by their personalities and testimonies. It is obvious to see that the bar has been raised and the effect these amazing young men are having around the world. It was an amazing afternoon and I truly did not want it to end. I can't wait to serve another mission someday with C. and to have the opportunity to work with so many of the faithful Latter-Day Saints around the world. I love the church!

C. and I with the mission president's wife and an Italian missionary!

C. with his dear friend Maurizio.

I love Italy and I love Italian members and I love missionaries.

But all good things have to end and eventually they pushed me out of the church and back into the car. We spent a little more time with Maurizio at his bar and then he drove us to the train station. It was hard to say good-bye. Even though I couldn't speak the language, I felt a real friendship and connection with Maurizio and it was easy to see how deep and strong he and C.'s friendship is. It was a wonderful and amazing 24 hours!

C. and Maurizio in front of his cafe.

That night we took the train to Salerno. We weren't sure where we were going when we arrived so we dragged our suitcases down the main walking street, through the fog, and hoped for the best. Apparently Sunday evening is the time to dress up and promenade along the walking street. The primary objective is to be seen...it was a great night for serious "people watching". We finally arrived at our hostel and checked in. Now keep in mind...we had just spent time in 3 amazing bed and breakfasts/hotels where each night it just seemed to get better and better. It was bound to bottom out...and I think it happened in Salerno. Since I had been appallingly spoiled, the bare essentials hostel room was a little spooky. Cheap, but spooky. The walls had a little bit of mold here and there, the light in the room cast a strange greenish light on things and the toliet had a couple of assorted black hairs on the seat. The beds were metal cots with blankets we made sure not to touch with bare skin. We played some Uno, ate some beef jerky, and got ready for bed. Once the lights were out, I laid in bed and wondered how long it would be before that infernal dripping sound would put me over the edge. We both finally fell asleep in our individual twin metal cots and dreamed of ocean-side bed and breakfasts and hotel suites.

Me in our hostel accomodations that really weren't that bad except I'd been spoiled rotten in the previous quaint bed and breakfasts.

The next morning, after a yummy breakfast, we checked out and headed for the bus stop. We took a bus on an amazing, harrowing, breathtaking ride up the Amalfi Coast. I don't even know how to describe this experience. It was a 2-lane road that wound up and up and over and down the coast...literally. Most of the time the road was cut right in to the mountain and out the bus window was not only a fantastic, unreal view of the most beautiful scenery and water you have ever seen, but also a literal drop off the cliff. It wound through tiny village towns where sometimes 2 buses would meet and we would creep along and pray we weren't going to hit each other while trying to pass. I really don't know how this bus made it. It was heart pumping the whole way and truly unbelievable. We got off the bus in a town called Positano that is apparently the new "hip" spot for Hollywood these days. The town sits right on the Mediterranean Sea and is built into the mountain. We walked around town and ate at a charming little restaurant surrounded by lemon trees. It was a beautiful, charming town with the green, lush, fog-tipped mountains looming on one side and the crystal blue sea on the other. I've never seen anything like it but I would definitely sell a leg to go back.

Me on the hill overlooking Positano.


More amazing pictures from picturesque Positano.

After a couple of hours in Positano, we boarded the "Bus of Death" again and continued up the coast to the city of Sorrento where we caught a train to Pompeii. I loved Pompeii! It was so, so, so very, very, very cool! (for lack of more intelligent vocabulary) What was truly stunning was turning around seeing Mount Vesuvius looming right there in the background. I rented myself a little self-guided tour and armed with our Rick Stevens print-out, we set out. I loved walking through the ruins and up and down the streets with the imprint of chariot wheels in the stone. I loved hearing the history of these places and walking where these people actually walked. And truth be told, the brothel was utterly fascinating to me...right down to the fresco "menu of potential services" painted on the wall. Those ancient Romans were really creative! Pompeii was beautiful and truly fascinating. We didn't even begin to see all of it but we wanted to be sure we had something to do next time!

Me in front of the entrance to Old Pompeii (top) in the city of Pompeii pointing to Mount Vesuvius.

From top to bottom: A petrified Pompeiian resident, me ordering fast food from an ancient Pompeii fast food restaurant, me sitting on a stone bed in the brothel looking as sexy and seductive as a person with a backpack and no hair dryer on vacation can look, C. in front of more Pompeiian stone, and C. in front of the entrance to Pompeii.

We jumped on the train again and headed for Naples where we grabbed some yummy pizza and then caught our train to Rome. We arrived in Rome late at night and wandered through a choice area of town looking for our bed and breakfast. When we finally found it, the owner led us up and down some more choice parts of town to the room we would be staying in. It was a little scary but when we finally got to the room it was charming and perfect. We had a fantastic thunder and rainstorm the last night we were there which was a perfect end. I threw open the shutters and leaned outside the window and tried to take in this amazing moment! I felt overwhelmed with sadness that it was our last night and yet filled with joy at being reunited with our kids

The next morning rode the train back to the airport and got ready to leave. It was so bittersweet. This trip was amazing and wonderful! Not only was it a chance to see Italy, but it was an opportunity to reconnect with my husband and our relationship. We are a great team! I love being married to him. We are good complements to each other with our strengths and weaknesses and living life with him is sweet. He is an incredible man and our time together is sweet and fun and filled with great adventures and experiences!

So to C., thank you for sharing this beautiful country with me! It was a grand adventure and I love you for all the hard work and effort you put into this trip to make it perfect. I can't wait to see where we end up next!


Ciao!

Italian Adventure...Part 3

Is this starting to feel like the eternal vacation blog?

Day 4:
Well...after a splendid stay in the charming fishing village of Cefalu, we boarded a train and sped along the magnificent coast to another amazing town called Taormina. We arrived at the most charming train station that had this very distinctive 1940's feel to it...I immediately announced to C. that he may just have to leave me here and go on without me. I hadn't even seen the town but I was pretty impressed with the train station. We had to board a bus that drove us up a very narrow, 2-lane road up the big mountain to the amazing place on top. Taormina is breathtaking and absolutely quaint and beautiful. I don't even know how to describe it and the pictures don't begin to do it justice. I guess we'll just have to make do...

Apparently Taormina used to be THE swanky place for all the big Hollywood movie stars back in the 1940's. Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable...it sits on top of a mountain and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Etna, the active Italian volcano. The little town is filled with charming cobblestone streets lined with lemon and orange trees, a million amazing places to eat, little shops and stores filled with every trinket imaginable, and a magnificent ancient Greek amphitheater. We started our Taormina adventure by checking in to our hotel. It was wonderful! We had a room that overlooked the main shopping/walking street and after admiring our iron bed frame and quaint antique wood furniture, I threw open the shutters, leaned out the window and did some serious people watching. The room was so fun!

After we bounced on the bed, touched all the beautiful furniture, leaned out our window and played with all the samples in the bathroom, we headed out to explore. We started at the huge ancient Greek amphitheater. It had experienced many different phases over the last few hundred years but was beautiful to look at. I was constantly amazed by the history in Italy. Their history dates back so much further than our American history does and on Sicily you find evidence of so many ancient civilizations and cultures. It never ceased to fascinate and truly amaze me. The only negative part of the experience was all the school groups that were there...everything from the pink, peppy, chain-smoking Italian cheerleaders, to the french school group that couldn't stop going down and performing "shows" for each other to the downright bored-out-of-their-Italian-middle school mind students with their long-winded tour guide. There were so many groups and they were all so loud that it was a little distracting...but the views were breathtaking. (I hate to use the same adjectives over and over but really...I don't have the vocabulary to describe this little paradise!)

After the ampitheater, we set out exploring. We found the most charming, beautiful, tranquil park that we spent a good couple of hours in. It had little paths through the most diverse, beautiful gardens, teahouses, fountains, trees, and overlooked the crystal blue ocean. We sat on a bench and breathed the citrus scented air, held hands down the flower lined paths, and danced on the cobblestones by the fountain. Sigh. It was a glorious afternoon!

(These are both pictures from the amazing park...one overlooking the ocean and mountains and the other is the Roman goddess sunning herself on the stone steps!)

Everywhere we walked we were bombarded by fragrant orange and lemon trees. After a little searching, I decided to settle for a little house on this street. Charming stone steps leading down the street, abundant citrus fruit, and charming balconies. "I'd like to buy your house. Do you take Visa?"

After an amazing day exploring, we chose a little cozy restaurant for dinner where we ate more magnificent pasta (really, those Italians have totally mastered the whole pasta thing!) and then we held hands and strolled along the main street with all the other Italian lovers. I think we cuddled in a piazza by a fountain and snuggled on a cliff overlooking the ocean...couldn't have been more romantic. And then my Italian lover bought me MORE gelato on the way back to the hotel and the deal was sealed. I was staying!

The next morning we explored town a little more including another harrowing ride down another perilous 2 lane road in a bus where we dashed to the beach, took a couple of pictures, and then had to race back to the bus in order to get back to town in order to get back to the train station in order to catch the next train! I think we spent more time in our favorite park, got lost in a swanky hotel's gardens and verandas, ate more gelato, and had a delightful time. The best part of all the dashing was that it was just 2 adults dashing...much simpler than 2 adults and 3 children!

Late afternoon we caught the train and headed back to the mainland. We rode a ferry, met a very, very nice Australian couple from Melbourne that we talked to on the train for several hours and arrived in our next town late that night. But enough for now...my eyelids are drooping and I need to go ask C. what the name of the next town we were in was called.

Ciao for now!

Italian Adventure...Part 2

DAY 3
After a delicious breakfast of chocolate croissants and very fresh squeezed orange juice on the piazza, C. and I caught a train to the nearby city of Palermo for a little day trip. Our first stop was the Palermo catacombs, a site I was "dying" to see. I can't even begin to explain how fascinating it was. You enter this building, walk down some stone steps, and are inside the catacombs with corpses and mummies just lying out on wooden planks or hanging by wire from the wall. C. and I have decided that it is way creepier looking at pictures of it on the internet than being there in real life but for those who are itching for a look, take a moment and go explore.

Palermo Catacombs

Despite what I would have thought, there was no odor or stench in the catacombs and it was really amazing to see the clothing and other artifacts so perfectly preserved from the different time periods. The most fascinating and heartbreaking is the little 2 year old girl named Rosalia Lombardo who died and was laid to rest in the catacombs in 1920. She is so perfectly embalmed that many people refer to her as "Sleeping Beauty". It was a fascinating place!

Next, we caught a bus and headed up past Palermo to a little town called Monreale, one of the areas that C. served in on his mission. I have to pause and insert an observation here. Italy is not a particularly "clean" place. C. and I joked that basically Italians do things one time and that is it. Preserve an artifact one time, clean a street one time, fix a statue one time...Palermo and Monreale had the potential to be beautiful, charming towns but they were actually quite dirty and run down. Here are these amazing artifacts, landmarks, and relics and they were mostly pretty dirty and unkept. It was a little depressing. BUT...we had delicious pizza on the piazza in Monreale while we waited for the cathedral to open.



This is me standing very piously in front of the cathedral.


And this is me PRETENDING to even think about going down in to the hole in the ground to use a toliet with no toliet seat. I honestly think I would have wet myself right there on the piazza rather than venture underground to relieve myself.

We finally made it inside the cathedral and it was absolutely breathtaking! The entire inside is made of mosaic and gold and the depictions are unreal. I wish I could do it justice but you are simply going to have to take my word for it and if you ever have the chance to see it, go.




On our way back to the train station, we met 2 sister missionaries on the bus! We had previously seen 2 elders at the train station when we arrived that morning. It just seemed so safe and happy that we kept running into missionaries!

On our way back to the train station, we stopped to purchase souvenirs for our children. J. had asked for an Italian dictionary so he could learn Italian and M. had asked for Italian candy, "something different than I eat here". H. didn't realize people were asking for gifts or I'm sure she would have asked for something. So we bought J. a children's Italian/English dictionary book and if I know our son, I'm sure he has been studying it and has it mostly down. We bought M. a Disney music CD in Italian and he now loves to wave his hands wildly around and speak in a deep voice with an Italian accent and then ask, "Mom, is that how they sound in Italy?" H. ended up with a little tamborine that has a scary sun man with lots of legs on it and ribbons hanging off the side. It had to be put in a "special" place after the first day from all the banging.



This is the special Sicilian sun man. I believe it is the universal symbol for Sicily. C. just informed me the scary man might actually be a woman. Somehow that makes it even scarier. And because it was so charming, I bought a pendant to wear on a necklace with this creepy little creature. I just truly hope it isn't the international symbol for the Mafia.

We took the train back to Cefalu and wandered around town watching the beautiful sunset over the water. We ate dinner at a charming, delicious little restaurant outside under the stars. Back to our bed and breakfast where we watched the Simpsons in Italian before falling sound asleep.


Delicious dinner in Cefalu.

The beautiful Cefalu cathedral at night. There was a gelato shop off to the right that had the most scrumtious flavors of gelato...chocolate orange, chocolate cherry...we savored all we could.

On the mountain above Cefalu. Good bye beautiful, scenic, charming town. I hope to see you again soon!

Reflections of Christ

I was reading a friend's blog tonight and she had a link to this beautiful photography exhibit about Christ that has been at the Mesa, Arizona temple visitor's center. It is an amazing exhibit and the photography is breathtaking. It truly captures the essence and spirit of Christ and some of the key events in His extraordinary life. Take a minute and enjoy!

Reflections of Christ photography exhibit

Fun in Italy...Part One

We are home! Our trip to Italy was amazing! I loved having 9 glorious days alone with my husband in a country that truly took my breath away. Here is the very, very abbreviated travel log. If you are itching for more, please come see our 254 digital pictures or 4 hours of video!

Day 1: We got up at 4:30 a.m. in order to arrive at the airport by 5:30 a.m. so that we could catch our 7:00 a.m. flight to Rome, Italy. We flew through Chicago and then on to Rome where we arrived at 11:30 p.m. our time but 7:30 a.m. Rome time. Our plan was to push through the day in Rome and then catch a night train to Sicily that evening. While it all sounded smooth on paper, it got to be pretty brutal at a couple points during the day. I couldn't look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel without swaying and feeling a little dizzy. I cat napped at some pretty impressive fountains and then cried over my gnocchi at dinner that night from sheer exhaustion. But in between the cat naps and tears, we saw some AMAZING things! Vatican museum, Pantheon, Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, other beautiful fountains and piazzas whose names I can't remember, tall towers, old buildings, a million scooters, charming apartment buildings with gardens on the roof or on the balconies...I just had to stop and close my eyes and take it all in. It was beautiful and charming and unbelievable that we were there!



Our visit to the Vatican museum. We saw mummies, lots of naked statues with fig leaves covering their privates, and the amazing, breath taking Sistine Chapel.


We averaged 2 gelato stops a day. There is NOTHING in this world to compare with Italian gelato. You could spend a year in Italy eating gelato 2 times a day and never taste all the intriguing, exotic flavors. We did our best though!


The beautiful Trevi fountain. Notice the bags starting to form under our eyes.

That night, we caught a sleeper train that whisked us through the night down to the island of Sicily. The train ride was about 12 hours but we slept through most of it. I had never slept on a train before so it all sounded rather intriguing and "Orient Express" like...we had bunk beds, a little sink, and plenty of pillows. The only down side was having to lurch down the train in the middle of the night to reach the potty. All part of a great memory!





Day 2: After our night on the train where we even crossed ocean on a ferry, we transferred to another train that whisked us to a beautiful sea-side city called Cefalu. We walked from the train station through the old town to our quaint bed and breakfast. It is a beautiful city! Our little room was perfect and after examining the view from the balcony, I crawled in to bed and slept for 4 hours! Perfect.

After waking up, we went out to explore the town. The ocean is an unreal color! It was clear and the most amazing shade of blue. We just took our time that day and enjoyed the town, explored the magnificent cathedral, climbed the mountain to look out over the whole view, and ate a delicious dinner followed by amazing gelato. It was a perfect day!

Twilight Trailer

I really thought I was over this little obsession. Guess not. Mark your calendars...December 12, 2008 is the opening. Does anyone else feel like you might not make it til then?

Twilight Movie Trailer


Or check this out for more fun:
More Twilight Fun

Good-Bye U.S.A

Well, these 2 parents are leaving those 3 sweet faces for NINE glorious days while we explore southern Italy. We will try to post pictures and travel reports when we can so check back if you are interested in seeing how 2 adults survive on their own for the first time in a LONG time! We are headed for Rome tomorrow and then down south to Sicily. C. served his mission there so I'm excited to go see this significant part of his past! Plus he speaks the language which means we don't have to look totally lost and American.

Thank you to ALL the wonderful family and friends who are watching the kids! You are making this possible and we are SO grateful to you. It is hard to believe how many people it takes for 2 parents to leave 3 children...my fear is the kids are going to dread us coming back!

So...Ciao!

Classic Moment

My favorite moment today happened on a jaunt through Wal-Mart with ALL 3 kids (which by the way, is totally against my personal creed to take children shopping, let alone shopping in the "Petri Dish" store.) Anyway, we were looking at some Band-Aids when H. noticed a box with a picture of blood on it. Since she has a strange love/hate relationship with blood, she asked me what it was. It was a box of "finger pokers" (sorry for my severe ignorance) used to test your blood. Thus ensued a pretty intense conversation about diabetes and why you have to poke your finger and test your blood and taking insulin and such. M. asked, "So Mom, what happens if people don't take their insulin?" I explained that they could get very sick or even go into a coma. M. asked, "What is a coma?" I told him it was when you go in to a deep sleep and people can't wake you up. M. was thoughtful for a moment and then said, "Hey Mom. Maybe Sleeping Beauty had diabetes!"

I had a good chuckle.

Let The Fun Begin...

So, my friend calls and asks if I can watch her kids tomorrow. I say, "Sure. What time?" She tells me and then asks, "Do you want to check your calendar?" I grudgingly get up and wander into my bedroom but I know this woman knows me really well and that I have a tendency to do what I like to call "living in the moment" which is really a much nicer way of saying that my memory isn't what it used to be. So I check the calendar and then I have to laugh. "Uh, I guess I can't watch your kids tomorrow. I'm going to be on T.V. at that time." Yeah. I forgot I'm going to be on T.V. That is a scary "living in the moment" event to forget although it means I haven't lost much sleep wondering what I'm going to wear or how dumb I'm going to sound. But I guess this means I better start thinking about it.

So...let the fun begin. I've been asked to do a book segment (in conjunction with my book column with Wastach Woman magazine) on Studio 5 tomorrow (WEDNESDAY, April 9th) at 11:00 a.m. on channel 5. Don't know what I'll be wearing, not sure which books I'll be sharing but there I'll be, in all my chubby glory! Tune in!

(And if anyone else out there knows of somewhere I'm supposed to be at a certain time, drop me a line. Apparently I'm not checking my calendar very well!)

No More Dinner Stress

I really hate dinner. I hate trying to think of something to cook, trying to muster up the energy to cook, trying to convince the kids to let me cook, and I really, really don't like grocery shopping. We might as well sit around and eat dollar bills! You hand over hard earned money for stuff that you are just going to eat and then poop. I don't mean to be graphic but really...when put in that context, doesn't eating dinner with all the shopping, prep, creativity, etc. just seem like a waste of time? Well, today I found the website that just might change my life. It sends you a meal plan every single week...healthy, nutritious, fresh ingredient meals...easy to prepare (prep time around 20 minutes) and gives you the whole grocery list (organized in to the different sections of the grocery store) and prints out all the easy recipes for you to follow. If you don't like one of the recipes for the week then you remove it and add another one. In 10 minutes I'd planned all the dinners for the next week, printed my little grocery list, add a couple additional things I needed, shopped, and voila...we had a fairly decent dinner tonight! So...just thought I'd share. I still had to go to the store, buy the stuff with money, fix it and will have to poop it later but having someone else do some of the work sure made it seem a lot more pleasant.

The Six O'Clock Scramble

Daily Grind

I think about blogging all the time. When funny or sad or weird or profound things happen I compose it all in my mind in to a splendid blog but alas, the daily grind triumphs and in the end I always choose sleeping over composing. My days are filled with wonderful things though. I am so grateful for a life filled with so much that brings me joy. I love my work at my children's school. I help in the library but my favorite time is working with the kids in the classroom. On Fridays, I go in and H. and I read to J.'s class. We take "special lunch" with us and H. gets to sit in a "big kid" desk to eat while I read out loud. I choose the books to read so they get a wide variety...poetry, non-fiction, picture books, etc. After each book I let the kids vote and we record their scores on the board. I don't know why the voting is so meaningful but I do think they like having their opinion asked!

I love writing my book column. It takes to me to all sorts of fascinating literature and pushes my mind in a direction that isn't always comfortable but feels good as I learn to stretch and grow in a new craft. I've been asked to write 2 additional articles for the magazine...one on charter schools and the other on the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. This will present whole new opportunities and challenges and I love having that to look forward to.

I love working out with my friend Tonya. We have been walking and lifting 3 days a week since November and it has not only done my body good, but done my soul even better. With every lap of the track, I laugh and talk and get free therapy...and I forget I'm exercising. Doesn't get any better than that!

I love my 2 book groups. Each book group is comprised of a different set of people, friends from such important phases of my life. And I love that my life moves forward with these amazing women taking such significant part. We call it a book group but my husband sometimes chuckles at how much "book" discussion actually happens. We always read the books and we always devote time to what we have read but it is the real life drama and shared experiences that uplift and motivate and fill my inner teacup the most!

I love belonging to the CLAU organization. I love promoting children's literature all over the state and standing for values that I feel so passionate about. I love working with so many different types of people that have truly educated me and blessed my life. I love being exposed to so many different types of literature and learning to give a voice to the things I think. I still stutter and stumble but it has opened avenues I didn't know were a possibility.

I love my family. I am constantly overwhelmed by the daily challenges of raising 3 little children and trying to find balance in the world but again, I love the physical, emotional, spiritual opportunities for growth that it brings. I have stopped hoping for the day that I will wake up and not be overwhelmed by being a mother...it isn't going to happen. Instead, I wake up praying for the wisdom and strength to be what they need and to set an example for them that will lead them to embrace what I hope will be happiness in their lives. A big charge...one I don't take lightly although I'm not always very good at it. I want my children to love learning and reading and talking and playing and imagining and listening and adventures and quiet time and scripture reading and prayer...I want them to love people in all their varieties. I want them to be loved and appreciated for who they are and what they bring to this world. Sigh.

And a significant part of that family is my husband...I love my husband. The longer I am married, the more convinced I am that I have been given a rare and wonderful gift in finding this man who wipes bums, watches kids, sweeps floors, cleans bathrooms, grows gardens, plays endless games with his kids and uses his amazing talents to bless the lives of others both in his professional career and personal life. He is thoughtful, funny, kind, compassionate, loyal and dedicated in all aspects of his life. I love holding his hand and kissing him and being with him. He is such a joy and strength and constant in my life.

So there you have it...my daily grind. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes all these great experiences collide and I feel stressed but most of the time it provides a rhythm and balance that soothe and feed my spirit in wonderful ways. Moderation in all things...I'm learning that. And I'm trying to learn to say "no"...I'm good at that mentally but struggling to say it out loud. Life is grand. Opportunities are around every corner. Share what you love with your kids. Don't think of your interests and hobbies as being exclusively yours. Find ways to invite your children in to what you love and cherish. Not only do you give them grand experiences to enjoy and explore, but you have more time to do those things yourself. Get out, explore your neighborhood, volunteer to do something you didn't know how to do, don't be afraid to take your kids with you and remember that however hard one phase of life seems, it will end and joy can be found in the strangest places.

Ah, ain't life grand?!

Winter Thrills

Just lots more fun with the new toy...

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Weekend O' Fun

Having lots of fun with this new toy! Best part about the whole thing is that it takes less than 5 minutes, I send it to Costco to be printed out and TA-DAH...pictures not just sitting on the camera. yeah, I'm liking this.

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

An Experiment

A friend recommended this website to me so I've just been playing. I do have to say...it makes "scrapbooking" not only bearable but actually kind of interesting. These are just some random pictures but everything I just did was free on this website. Anyhow...like I said, just an experiment.

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Oh What Do You Do In the Wintertime?

So help me, if it snows one more time I'm going to pull out all my hair and run naked around the neighborhood...just for something new to do. I'm so, so, so tired of beautiful, soft falling, gentle snow. It was so charming the first 300 times it snowed and now it just weighs on me like a giant avalanche. I'm trapped in my house, I haven't left this little area/neighborhood for over a month, a mystery dog has taken to pooping on the front sidewalk every morning, and my snow pants are getting tighter and tighter from all that Stephen's hot chocolate we've been drinking. Where oh where is blessed spring?

The good news in our family this week is that J. got a speaking part in his school's first drama production. He will be playing the illustrious role of Demon Bear #2 (you KNOW I'm not making this up...who could even make up a part like that?) They are doing a play called "Sunlight, Moonlight" which apparently is a Tibetean (?) fairy tale. Now seeing that we are only a very poor charter school, they chose a script that was free and could be downloaded off the internet. The writing is not exactly Tony Award winning and there are demon bears in the play but we couldn't be more proud of our little thespian! The play was opened for kids K-8th grade so I was shocked J. wasn't shy about trying out. Matter of fact, when the drama lady asked the kids to show her their best "demon bear" growls, my friend leaned over and asked, "Uh, is J. OK? I almost expect to see him foaming from the mouth." I assured her that any one of my children could summon their "demon" sides without much effort...we just need to work on the bear part! Anyway, if any of you are in town toward the end of March and are curious as to what demon bears do, please let us know. I'm sure we could muster up a few extra tickets!

Other news...hmmm. Not much happens when you are stuck in your house. My parents are on a 2 week trip to the Holy Land, my good friend just took her family to Disneyland for the week, and I'm actually looking forward to our trip to University Mall on Tuesday...you know, get out of town for a little while! Things aren't so bad. I have a warm house to live in, way too much food to eat, a fleece "leisure" suit that is getting quite a workout this winter (it has pretty much become a uniform item for me), 3 hilarious kids to keep me entertained (H. danced around with a pull-up on her head the other night and I really thought I was going to pass out from laughing so hard...cheap thrills!), and a husband with patience and a sense of humor that might just pull me through the winter dol-drums. (Is that a word?)

If you are in town, stop by for a cup of hot chocolate and a chat. I'm the one melding into the blue leather chair in the front room with the dirty fleece leisure suit! (Yikes...that was SUCH an unappealing image to put in your head!)

Did You Know?

Did you know...
That Wal-Mart offers lasik surgery? I'm a little disturbed that I can now go to my local ghetto department store and get a pedicure from a Vietnamese man, pick up a Happy Meal from the Hispanic crew, grab my tolietries, prescriptions, groceries, and household items from the toothless, pregnant, flannel pajama wearing cashier and then stop by the eye center for a little zap to my corneas. And the lasik surgery is only $439/per eye. I mean seriously...would you EVER let ANYONE at Wal-Mart put a laser to your eyeball?

Did you know...
At our local rec. center, downstairs in the weight room, there is a machine that will strengthen and tone your crotch? Don't believe me? There is a intricate drawing on the machine showing the generic human body in black and white with the crotch highlighted in red. With all my stress about my hips and thighs, I never once considered that my crotch might be flabby! Will the body image stress ever end??

Did you know...
My 3-year old can fix a scrumptious "pig in a blanket" all by herself? She helped mix the biscuit dough, rolled it out on the counter, cut strips, rolled the hot dog inside and laid the whole affair on the cookie sheet. I just stood aside and took pictures. It makes watching Barney tomorrow seem a little "remedial" for her. Barney is just tackling colors, shapes and feelings and my 3-year old is ready for recipes, pre-heated ovens, and culinary design.

Did you know...
The nutrition label on the bag of chicken nuggets sitting in my freezer indicates that my children will die of high cholesterol, heart attack, and stroke by the time they are 12 years old if I continue feeding them this crap? (Pipe down...some of us parental units figure things out a little slower than the rest.)

Did you know...
They just announced the Caldecott and Newbury Award winners? The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Seltzer won for the Caldecott (AMAZING book! I love, love, love it. Reading it to J. right now and we can't get enough!) and a book I've never heard of won the Newbury. Go check it out. (C'mon people...just GOOGLE it.)

Did you know...
That when we were sitting at my 6-year old son's basketball clinic today listening to a group of 50 boys yell "DEFENSE" and stomp their feet that my poor 5-year old came up and asked me why all the basketball boys were yelling "Jesus!" When a bunch of boys shout "defense" really loud in an echoy gym, it does sound just like they are praising the Lord.

Did you know...
An iPod nano will make ANY circumstance and/or situation better? Jogging, cleaning house, entertaining children, doing my daughter's hair, going potty (I watched an episode of Scrubs on my iPod nano yesterday while using the "facilities". Never enjoyed myself more. M. kept banging on the door asking why I was laughing and why I was taking so long.)

Did you know...
The T.V. show Pushing Daisies is the most entertaining, clever, creative, funny show on the television right now? I dare say I am enjoying it more than The Office, 30 Rock, Scrubs, and Amazing Race. (Funny...I was just telling a friend today how I really don't watch T.V. anymore. Hmmm...) Actually, I don't watch ANY of these shows on T.V. because that is so "YESTERDAY" to sit around watching T.V. I just download them on my iPod nano and watch them while hiding in the bathroom. So much more sophisticated. (And I have the nerve to make fun of people wearing flannel pajama bottoms to work at Wal-Mart? My poor hypocritic life...)

Did you know...
I got an iPod nano for Christmas?

Did you know...
Pluto is NOT considered a "real" planet anymore? It got demoted last year.

Did you know...
you can't ever count to the end of numbers because it goes to infinity and beyond? That makes me crazy and gives me a headache every time I think about it.

Did you know...
Old Navy is having a HUGE sale right now where everything in the store is so dirt cheap that I almost felt like they should be paying ME to carry all those bags of dirt cheap clothes out to my car?

Did you know...
my husband is AWESOME. (And really cute?)

That's it. Just wondered if you knew...