Where Have You Been?

Guys, it's been a long time and I've missed you! What's going on? My family was in town for about ten days and it was really fun. I introduced William to my daddy (see previous story), and he called him G's Daddy for most of the time that they were here. Silly kid.

Here are some of the things we did.

Amalia (2 years old) and I shared a bedroom. Courtney, Andrea and their three children stayed with me (thanks in part to Melissa's flexibility and patience), and we set her little playpen/crib up in my room. She's kind of a messy roommate, left her clothes on the floor and books everywhere, but other than that she was very sweet, quiet, slept soundly and didn't wake me up too early. Ideal.

We went to the Church History Museum downtown where we found a great display for the kids on Book of Mormon stories and the culture of South America. Drew (4) got to wear this fancy vest, go fishing, and learn a Spanish dance.

Marla hosted a backyard party. Barry got caught up in this puzzle (which, by the way, I've tried to do myself and found it impossible. It helped my self-esteem to see that Barry couldn't do it either). Spencer (6), always curious and pretty sharp, wanted to help. They puzzled and puzzled for quite a while.

I hosted my first big family day! I usually let my siblings take care of having everyone over because, come on, I live in an apartment and we don't fit, and besides I have a roommate who would feel driven out of her home. But this time we decided to face our claustrophobia and squeeze in to my place. We ate good sandwiches and swam in the pool. Success.

After so much activity, Amalia needed a drink. She really is sweet.

They left for home last Saturday morning. The time always goes so fast.

And now it's really summer in Utah! After a long, wet and cool spring (which I liked), the temperatures are climbing in to the 90s. I went to Marla's last night to swim with William in their pool and loved it. A private pool is one of life's greatest luxuries, and MAKES a summer. She wants me to teach William how to swim this year. I don't know that I teach swimming as much as just playing around in the water, but either way I'm all for it.

Hope you all have your own fun summer under way!

Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

You are loved.

A Conversation with William

William and I were talking on the phone today. He started with, "Hel-wo G!" and I giggled because he's so cute. He told me what he was doing with his day, and what his family was doing, and then he said, "My daddy at work."

Me, "Your daddy's at work?"
"Yeah. You have a daddy?"
"Yes, I have a daddy."
And then Will asked, "What his name?"
Stifling a laugh, "Owen".

How interesting.

What he doesn't know is that my parents will be here on Thursday! I told Marla that we'll have to introduce William to our dad.

It's funny, though, isn't it, when kids start putting all of that together? I remember learning that my mom had a name, and it blew my mind. Realizing that parents have parents and siblings... it opens up a whole new world.

Mariah

Yesterday the family got together to grill burgers and hot dogs and celebrate Mariah’s graduation from high school. This milestone makes me think about how much I love that girl, how grateful I am for her, and how I pray that she’ll always be happy and safe.

Here are a few of my many favorite things about Mariah:

She gives great hugs!

She loves Winnie-the-Pooh.

She was such a shy little girl, wouldn’t talk to anyone. But her quiet way was sweet, and made me feel like wrapping her up and protecting her.

She used to run everywhere and climb on everything and stopped at every water fountain for a drink. Actually, I think she still does that.

She would ask me the funniest questions, but with complete sincerity. Like one time, I had sore muscles from a workout and said that my bum hurt. She looked at me very seriously and said, “Do you have a rash?” She was a toddler at the time, and in her world a sore bottom meant a rash. It made perfect sense.

She loved to play and play. She still likes to play.

She’s so easy to have around, still kind of quiet, but has a good sense of humor and laughs easily.

And now she’s grown up, and beautiful. Mariah is good, down to her core. She makes the right choices because they’re right, not because her parents said so or because she has to. She has a strong sense of responsibility and wants to do well in school and at church, with everything, and she keeps herself on track. She’s just so good.

One day, years ago, I had Sierra and Mariah in the car. They were little; I think Sierra was four and Mariah two. Sierra, always full of questions, asked me what the word valuable meant. I told her that it can mean that something is very expensive or worth a lot of money, or it can be something that you love and never want to be without. She said, “That means Mariah's valuable!” Yes, it certainly does.

U2

Remember how cool U2 was back when we were in high school? I saw them in concert last night, and they still are. They're cooler than ever. It was the most spectacular show I have ever seen. Here are some pictures stolen from ksl (my little phone camera couldn't do it justice).

The stage was the full width of the football field with a "claw" that was about 170 feet high. The band were under that thing, and a huge 360 degree video screen is attached to it. The sound, lighting and effects were beyond amazing. These guys ARE Rock Stars.

And now I need to get on Amazon and buy more U2 music.

The World Comes to Life

A poem
by Me

I don’t mind winter.
In fact
I like it.

Are you stunned? It’s
Not a common opinion.
But something about

Feeling the sharp, cold
Air on my face wakes me up.
It makes a girl feel alive.

And sweaters,
How I love sweaters,
And warm air coming

Through furnace vents.
It’s cozy.
But,

Today I went outside
Into the spring sunshine.
The gardens are wild

With tulips, red, orange, yellow, pink.
The trees are in bloom, and the creek
Is rushing down from the mountains,

A tumult of water falling over itself
And the rocks with a thunderous,
Riotous noise.

It’s beautiful.
It’s glorious.
It’s joyous.

I like winter,
Fall is gorgeous,
Summer is easy and fun.

Oh, but spring,
The world comes to life
In the spring.

Strength

Last Saturday Mariah, Savannah and I went to the art museum at BYU for an exhibit of paintings by Carl Bloch. Bloch is a Danish painter whose works on the life of Christ have been very popular around the world. The exhibit is of originals borrowed from churches and collections around Europe. Many of the paintings were done for alter pieces, really big paintings that hung at the front of chapels behind the alter. At the exhibit, these paintings were set up and framed like they would have been in a church, with columns and pillars. It was all beautifully done.

My favorite of the alter pieces, and of the entire exhibit, is this picture of Christ in Gethsemane. The scriptures say that when Christ was in the garden, “there appeared an angel unto him from heaven; strengthening him.” Always before when I read that scripture I thought of… well I don’t know what I thought, something more forceful; the angel stretching out his mighty arms with power radiating down in a white glow. So when I saw this picture, it really struck me.


Here, strength is given in tenderness and compassion; the angel supporting Christ, holding him up off the ground, with love instead of power. There’s no cheering, “Come on! You can do this!” Just an angel’s embrace.

I’ve thought a lot about this since seeing that picture, and have wondered about how I try to strengthen people, if I try at all, and if it’s loving rather than forceful. And, I’ve thought about the many times that I’ve been strengthened, and remember that honestly feeling loved gave me the support I needed. I’m trying to keep this picture in my mind and use it as an example of the kind of strengthening that works, and the kind I want to give.

Oh, and thanks again to the girls for going with me. They're always good fun.

An Ox in the Kitchen

Andrea, my sister-in-law and Courtney’s enduring wife, commented on my last post, about dancing with Court and asked, “I thought he also bumped your mom's head on the stove another time too, didn't he?” Close, but it was me that he rammed into the stove, not mom.

We were dancing in the kitchen, as we liked to do (see previous post). He went for a big dip (now that I think about it, the big dips were the problem), lunging forward, really far forward, pushing me backward. The inertia of both bodies moving in one direction with such force was more than he could handle. He lost all control, hit the floor, and I was thrown into the stove.

But that wasn’t the worst of our accidents. We were horsing around in the kitchen another day. This time he wanted to throw me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry (side note – I almost never knew what was coming. It’s not like he said, “I am now going to pick you up and carry you around” and then I said, “Okay that would be great”. He just came at me with the surprise attack). He squatted down and pulled me over his shoulders, and just as he was about to stand up, he farted. The passed gas started him laughing. He lost his balance and fell, driving my head right into the knobs on the cabinet door. It really hurt, and swelled up, and gave me brain damage.

Honestly, it was like growing up with Babe the Blue Ox.

But, he was also sweet and affectionate, funny and smart, and we spent almost all of our at-home time together. Along with tackling, fireman carrying, and pain-inducing dancing, he liked to read with me. He’d come up to me and say, “Ang, lets read”, so we’d find a book and sit close on the couch or one of our beds, with his head on my shoulder, and I’d read. That was one of my favorite things. Almost worth the brain damage.