It's a Secret

shshshshshsh....Don't tell anyone.....but Jo has a secret admirer. Yeah. hehehe A very non-descriptive envelope came in the mail a couple of days ago. I will admit...I thought it was from Sarah. It didn't have a return address so I was a little nervous of the contents. I am a big believer in postal privacy...but will admit that if something looks threatening or overly ominous I will open it even if it isn't addressed to me. This envelope looked benign. It did feel a bit lumpy though. When I held it up to the light (yeah, I did that!) I could see a shape on the end of a length of twine? maybe pleather? I had no idea what it could be and it was another 30 minutes until Jo was due home. I was more than a little curious. Finally she waltzed through the door. I practically raced to the door with the envelope practically burning a hole in my hand.She, sensing my excitement, tore it open and pulled out a necklace and a short (oh so short) note. She hopes it's from a boy that she is friends with. I think mostly because then it wouldn't be so creepy. I have been able to relate or empathize with most of the stuff my kids have gone through. But with this...we are entering new territory. Slightly bizarre, slightly creepy and definitely flattering territory. WOW.....by baby is growing up SO fast!!!

I Love Spring

I love spring. I love the colors. I love the warm air. I love the new growth. I really love my new purse that the Easter Bunny brought me. My other purses have overcome their initial jealousy and welcomed the new-comer with open arms. Wuv, twoo wuv.

Easter Memories

When I was about 9 we had a special Easter party (I think it was Easter...Mom's not here to ask....so...) in the community room at the apartment complex of my Aunt Pam. There were a lot of relatives there. All of my Mom's sisters and her brother were there with their families. My Grandma and Grandpa Goodwin were there. So were Grandma Goodwin's Mom and Dad.....Nana and Grandaddy. A more perfect couple you'd be hard pressed to find. I remember there being jelly beans (I really like jelly beans....especially now that Starburst makes fruit flavored beans). There was cake and a lot of laughter....but what remember the most is the tire swing outside. The devilish, puke inducing, dizzy-making tire swing. The tire for this swing was laid flat and connected to chains in four places....so four kids could ride at the same time. My Dad...hehehe I love my Dad....but he doesn't always display the most sound judgment when playing with his kids, or grandkids for that matter. He drives too fast on the 4 wheeler, or throws the ball to hard, or pushes the swing too high. My Dad is the youngest of 3 boys that are each one year apart in age. He had it rough as a kid and survived....I think he is sure his kids and grandkids will be that tough too. That being said... my Dad was the most fun guy ever to grow up with. Anyway...back to the swing. So as I sat there on the swing with my cousins or siblings....or who ever else was dumb enough to sit on the devil swing...Dad offered to push us. Not back and forth in traditional swing fashion. Oh no....We would be going in circles. A lot of circles. And really fast. I remember holding on and trying to stay upright.....and laughing until I though my head would burst. Everything was great.....until....it wasn't. I wanted off. I had to get off....this wasn't fun anymore. And then it really wasn't. The combination of techni-colored jelly treats mixed with high velocity spinning resulted in a very ugly, quickly spinning trail of gooey eeeewwwww. Yeah....ick. Of course then Dad was SURE I'd had enough and took me seriously when I asked him to stop. I got off the swing and promptly fell over sideways. Man, my stomach felt queasy. It was so not good. It stayed queasy for days. Seriously....days. And now...to this day almost 30 years later, I get queasy looking at a tire swing. No lie. But that being said....I had an awesome time over all. So my advice on this Easter day is....make good family memories today. What a perfect excuse for family time. Easter, a day for us to celebrate the sacrifice our Savior made for us allowing us to live with him...and our families....again.

Not In Kansas Anymore

So funny. My son is taking classes here at the community college in town. He is preparing to serve a mission for our church and decided to save the money he would have spent on tuition at an out of state school (read BYU-Idaho) so he would have more moolah to pay for said mission. Today I asked him how his English class was. I never see him doing homework...not that I see him much at all. But he said it was fine, he'd had a test today. He is sure he did really well and laughed because his teacher had passed it out and then had to return to jail.....(sound of record scratching)....huh??? Because I am so articulate when caught off guard...huh? is all I could come up with. Yep, his English professor received his 4th DUI and is in jail. He is allowed to come to class (with a police escort) long enough to pick up the previous days assignment and hand out a current assignment. Then they haul him back out to the paddy wagon and ship him back to his cell. I asked Kev what happens if one of his students has a question about the assignment??? Well...the nice guards have let him set up office hours so his students can stop by and get help should they need it. wow.... I come from a small community where there are a couple larger colleges nearby. I don't think I have ever heard of a professor on work-release from jail. I am suffering from a little culture shock today. Oh me...oh my .......huh?

Would You Go Back??

Not me. Not for a minute. I didn't love high school much. Of course if I had attended class a little more frequently....or chosen better friends....maybe I'd be singing a different story. Jo has reminded me....yet again....how hard it was to be a teenager. The drama of it all leaves me cold. I vividly remember trying so hard to fit in somewhere....anywhere. Of course, mine was an altered reality. Having a chemical imbalance as a teen left me with what I now call sideways thinking. Everyone in a room may have seen the same thing happen...or heard the same conversation....and they would have drawn the same conclusion. I...on the other hand...would see or hear something entirely different from what they did. That processing problem caused so much drama for me. It was just unreal. Luckily....Jo does not have that particular problem. Jo is a very head strong, confident teen. She fits in relatively easily. She hasn't always chosen the most morally centered friends....but most of them have been good kids. When we moved here...it is Jo that I worried about the most. Being surrounded with kids who are being raised with the same religious teachings...she was bound to find a couple that weren't defying their parents or testing the waters of sin a little too frequently. That safety net was removed when we moved here. Don't get me wrong. There are some great kids in her school. But few of the parents are as alarmed with the idea of teen drinking...or pre-marital sex...or even rated R movies as Jim and I are. It has been a challenge to get Jo to vocalize her morals and values to her friends....because they are uncool or prudish. She wants to fit in. She doesn't want to be the "weird Mormon girl". But at the same time...she wants to maintain her standards too. Such a conundrum. How to fit in the world without being of the world. Isn't that what we all strive for? How do we hold ourselves above the evils of man....while remaining grounded and avoid seeming pious? hhhhmmmm Well, I am so thankful to have survived high school. I just hope that I can help Jo negotiate the obstacle course of high school and that she can emerge unscathed from it's fiery depths.

My, How Time Flies

So, whether or not you are interested...today, April 4th is my 17th wedding anniversary. Yep. 17 years. In some respects it seems like just yesterday I was walking on the arm of my darling Dad to my patiently waiting grinning groom. What a great day. All our family and friends gathered in one place.Fabulous. And then in some ways it feels like I've known him for centuries. We've been through a lot...Jim and I. A whole lot....and I like to think we are stronger for it. Ours has never been the typical storybook romance....but he'll always be my knight in shinning armor.

The Sugarman

I love the Facebook Flair someone sent me about lemonade. "When life gives you lemons find someone with sugar so your lemonade don't suck." Amen. I do try to make lemonade with the stinking ton of lemons that has compromised my life over the last 18 months. With a positive attitude, one can accomplish great things. I guess.... As you know, I have had the flu for the last few days. I'm not really into laying around moaning about how rotten I feel. It annoys me when others do that...so I try to suck it up. Of course this tends to make people think that I feel fine and that I should make them something for dinner. Rotten people any way. But after the deluge of thick, heavy, wet snow we received (via the angry "global warming" Gods)...I decided that while my delightful neighbor was snow blowing my driveway (so the kids and I didn't have to shovel for a third time) I would find some sugar. I already had the lemons...so why not. I put my jacket on (no big coat or hat or boots for me!!) and headed out. Keep in mind as you critique the photos that I really do feel like crap. Jim was pulling up in the driveway as I headed out to build me a sugarman. I convinced him that in my weakened state I might need some help with this lunacy. So he grabbed his gloves and joined in. Kevin came out shaking his head and laughing in disbelief. I told him to do something useful...so he went in and brought out the camera. Fool... So here is the sugarman that I built to go with my lemons. I hope he sweetens your lemons for you like he did for me. I just love this guy...