Like I Was Walking onto a Yacht

I think I should have a full-length mirror in my cube.  I know you think I'm being egotistical (which is a lovely, clicky word), but it's really about ... vanity.

I just discovered some kind of blue streak on the front of my white sweater, right between my ... vanity.  It's already a man's world around here, the last thing I need to do is give them a real reason to make eye-to-chest contact.

Do men worry about clothing the way we do? 

Is there a run in my hose?
Does my loose heel make anyone else crazy when I walk?
Is my slip showing?
Is my round neck-lined garment showing beneath this square neck-lined top?
If Auntie Flo comes to visit today instead of tomorrow, is this skirt dark enough?
Is this blouse pilling under my arms?

And don't even get me STARTED on the accessories.

Too late.

I need a new purse.

Glimpses by Aundrea

My eyes are closed for two reasons:  1) I'm too lame to have a picture taken without blinking; 2) there is not enough oxygen in the air yet, so I'm asleep.  This is at the SLC airport, where we nearly missed our flight due to the length of the security checkpoint line.  I've seriously never seen anything like it.

Todd and Sami at Pearl Harbor--I love this picture (even if Sami won't love it)!

Spencer is a good sport to do the goofy stuff with me.  We are at the Dole Plantation.

This is the back yard view of the house where we stayed.  *sigh*  I could SO get used to a view like this!

Nothing says "Class" like flags along the road!  The food was really good.  And I apologize to everyone in Hawaii who DIDN'T have the garlic shrimp that day.  They were pretty serious about the garlic.  :)

Going into dinner at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

The lookout from atop Diamond Head.  (Are my eyes open?  You decide.)

Proof that we visited a tropical rain forest.  Incredible!

Banyon tree.  It's really beautiful.  (It was also the closet for some homeless person(s), containing a cooler, a bedroll, and others "stuff")

One of the funny things when we travel is that I want all the pictures to have people in them.  Spencer likes "the view."  He got some lovely photos, but this is MY blog, dang it!

A Nice Visit in Orem Yesterday

These are my maternal grandparents.  We went to visit them yesterday.  While the men (Spencer, Brant, Brennan) were helping Grandpa try to figure out an electrical problem, the women (Grandma, Aunt Pat, Laurie, Ashtyn, Kelly, me) visited like crazy and did lots of laughing. 

Grandma (age 84, I think) is in pretty good health.  Grandpa (age 87) has neuropathy in his legs, he is quite forgetful, and he gets incredibly frustrated by age. 

My grandparents have always been a huge part of my life.  One of my earliest memories is riding on an airplane from North Dakota to Utah with Grandma.  Brant and I stayed there until my dad's discharge from the Air Force.  One morning Grandma and Grandpa said that we were going to go to the airport to look at the planes.  As we stood at one of the windows, Brant started jumping up and down, yelling, "Mama!  Mama!  Mama!"  Our grandparents had not wanted to say that we were going to go get Mom, in case she hadn't gotten on the flight or the flight got delayed.  But there she came, down the stairs with our new baby brother, Derek, in the infant seat in her arms.  Brant could see her, but I couldn't see her till she was right next to me.

We also lived with my grandparents a couple of different times in my childhood.  When we moved to California, they bought a small trailer that simply stayed in my parents' driveway for years--it was their home with us!  They would come for weeks at a time, and we loved it.

My grandma was fearless, and it was a KICK to go to Disneyland, Lagoon, and Knott's Berry Farm with her.  There was NOTHING she wouldn't ride.  My high school friends loved to laugh with her and tease her.  She was a talented singer; she is completely devoted to all of her 4 sisters; she was a marvelous crafter.  In fact, I've still never seen anyone who could tie a bow like my grandma.  She did all of my flowers for our wedding, and I LOVED them.

Grandpa was/is incredibly generous.  He is a hard worker.  He was a MASTER at car restoration.  He could often be found in "The Pit" (which was a necessity in his garages) or with the welder going.  We weren't allowed to go out there, and we weren't allowed to look at the welding arc, so he was a little bit scary to me when I was a child.  But I learned he was a marshmallow.  When my daddy was living in California, Grandpa took my out to practice driving.  When I graduated from high school he gave my family a car so that I would have one to use for college.

It is a tremendous blessing that my grandparents have been my good friends throughout my life, and I will thank heaven for that blessing eternally.  Additionally, our children also know and love them, which is wonderful.  I know that mortality is going to catch up with my grandparents in the not-too-distant future, and the thought nearly breaks my heart.  For now, I cherish each of our visits!

Prom Time Again

Taylor went to Prom on Saturday with his sweetheart, Lindsey, and a group of about 15 couples.  Lindsey's darling.  They looked beautiful. 

I Was Gonna, But...

I had planned to bring the camera to work so I could show you our fabulous Hawaiian vacation.  But it turns out that even after a glorious vacation, I am still brain dead.  I forgot the camera.

Instead I will tell you a story:

When I was 21 years old I went to the student health center at the university I was attending.  There in the student health center, I peed into a cup (which is more information than you ever wanted to know, but that is what happened).

The next day I received a call from the student health center.  The doctor wanted to see me.

If a doctor calls you into his office, it is never good news.  I was worried.  What could they possibly find in my pee? 

So I left one of my classes midway through so that I could go see the doctor.  He was in a large office with a VERY large wooden desk.  He laced his fingers together and said solemnly, "You are pregnant."  I was sort of waiting for the punchline.  "You are pregnant AND you are dying."  But nope.  That was it.  Just "You are pregnant."

When I realized that that was all he had called me in to tell me, I wanted to jump up and down and scream for joy.  But--ya know--I was a very mature 21-year-old.  So I smiled and thanked him for the wonderful news.

The doctor's eyebrows went into his hairline.  He said, "Is this good news?"

Isn't it a sad social commentary that telling someone they are about to have a baby is a bad thing?

I assured him that it was VERY good news.  He said, "I've been working here for nearly 20 years, and it is NEVER good news."

Except this time it was good news.  And a few months later we had a beautiful, perfect baby daughter.  My life has never been the same.

Today--a mere 15 seconds later, it seems--my beautiful, perfect baby is moving.

The end.

How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?

On Sunday my brother showed me a picture of a large vinyl sign one ward member (using the term VERY loosely here) had put up regarding another ward member.  It said, "____________ was my visiting teacher, my friend, a church leader, and she committed adultery with my husband."

We live in a world where mothers get breast cancer, earthquakes and tsunamis destroy land and people, couple cannot get pregnant, babies die, extremists murder randomly, and cars won't start at the gas station--and that is just stuff I've seen in the past week. 

So I'm wondering, did this woman think she was going to fix something?  Did she think that hurting one person (and her family) was somehow going to make her feel better?

Seriously, I don't get it.  I must be missing something, because I sincerely don't understand this.  What is the thought process?

Did anyone ever read "The Secret Life of Bees"?  Remember Mae, whose heart broke every time something sad happened?  That's how I felt after church on Sunday.  Broken-hearted.  I wondered how to get through things like this.  What can I do to make it better for someone?

And I had a small, personal, private epiphany.  It included working on a blanket for a sweet young lady who is fighting for her child's life.  It included short visits with people we love.  It included prayer and introspection.

With all of the ugliness in the world, there is also a huge world of beauty, including blessed people who make a difference.  I hope I am one of those people, even if my contribution is very small.

A Whole Bunch of Fun Stuff

1. Last night we got to go to the Jazz game.  Our men were trouncing the 76'ers until about 2 minutes left in the game, when the Sixers took the lead--their only lead for the entire game.  The game went into OT, and the Jazz won, and it was way fun.  Plus, I got to spend the evening with my very best friend. 

2. Tonight we are going to see "The Wedding Singer" at WJHS.  Taylor has the part of the sleezy jerk boyfriend, and I cannot wait!

3. Thursday Spencer and I are leaving for Oahu.  Yes, my friends, that is in HAWAII!!!

4. My friend invited me to participate in the Dirty Girl Run at Wheeler Farm on July 2.  It's a 4 mile run/obstacle course in the mud.  Doesn't that sound fun?

5. Ragnar Wasatch Back is in 3 months.  Anybody know anyone with a van or Suburban we can use?  :)

Guest Post: Kids Say the Darnedest Things!

Markie-Sharkie stood in front of me and asked, “Grandpa, are you an adult?”

I told him that I was.

Then he surprised me by asking, “Do you ever play adult games?”

I told him, “Not lately, but I used to.”

That is one cute kid! I’m still laughing over that one.

Check It Out

This is an actual email I just received from our high school seminary:

Dear Parents,



With the advent of the Basketball Play-offs occurring Wednesday at 4:15 during the same time as Parent Teacher Conferences we would like to notify you that the high school seminary will be holding their conferences on Thursday Only. On Wednesday we as a faculty will be supporting the students at Weber State. We apologize for the incontinence this may cause. If Thursday doesn’t work then please contact your student’s teacher at 801-562-8035 or e-mail them and they will make arrangements to meet with you at your convenience. Thanks for all you do.

Dang!  Not only do I have to worry about incontinence when I run, now I have to worry about Parent/Teacher conferences and basketball games!