Final Installment of PPP

Yes I am still posting cell phone pictures.
I beg your indulgence and promise that it's most likely the last installment....
probably
for sure,
maybe.
I'm sorry.
My brain is a little mushy today.
This one is pretty self explanatory
Jack Fruit....not sure what it is or what it tastes like but anything that is named after my Elder Nerent is ok in my book.

Jack on the phone posed in front of
Jack on the phone.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Can you tell that I was the only one that thought this was clever and that Nerent is trying to be a good sport?

Mr. T and I at a Bruce Springsteen concert. Mt. T LOVES concerts.   I do not.   Mr. T LOVES Bruce Springsteen.   I do not.   Mr. T thinks that he deserves the nickname "the Boss".   I do not. (unless you want to extend it to the "boss of loud gravely voice noises"   But I do LOVE Mr. T and gave him the tickets as a Christmas present. The real present however was my presence.  FYI: When you purchase Springsteen tickets you get your money's worth. That man sang and sang and sang and sang and sang. Over three hours worth. Do you see the yellow string coming out my ears. Jewelry you ask? NO!.... ear plugs. My apologies to all you Springsteen fans out there.

Killing time at Target #1

Killing time at Target #2

Killing time at Target #3

Girls day out at The Quilted Bear. For those not acquainted with this Utah institution it is rows and rows of booths like a craft fair that are rented by individuals to sell their wares. They are not manned but are just overseen by....well....the Quilted Bear. There are some wonderful items. There is some scary stuff too. Some people should not be able to craft or own a glue gun or jigsaw.  That being said I always save room in my suitcase for the flight home for a few purchases.
Side note: They also have a little cafe inside that has some pretty good soup and giant frosted sugar cookies as big as your head. Those never even make it home.

Sometime I am just amazed by the beauty of nature. I am also amazed at the ability of a little cell phone to take a shot like this one. This is Mr. T and Peanut at a lake in the middle of the desert in the Joshua Tree National Monument. If you ever get to Southern CA I heartily recommend stopping there. It is worth the time.

Date Night with my Mr. T to the Houston Temple. Can't imagine he could look any more handsome than standing in front of this beautiful edifice reminding me that our love is eternal.
So my dear readers
is all I will post of my cell phone pictures.
Definitely
Most likely
For sure.
Maybe.

Ooops and a "Cell"fish post.

I accidentally posted my email about Elder Nerent to this blog instead of his/our missionary blog. When I went to copy and paste and delete it I decided not to. Because maybe you don't read that one and it was a story worth telling
A story about how the Lord takes care of his own.
So I left it.
Plus I like clicking on my blog and seeing his beautiful face.
But just to keep things on the light side as well...
Here are some more cell phone pics...
Just in case you needed more..

This is my 300 calorie Burger King meal. And I know how they do it. Can you believe the size of that burger. And no the camera did NOT make it look bigger like it does my face and body.  It is really THAT small. On the upside..I did enjoy the french fry shaped apple pieces. No they don't taste like fries but I pretended that they were anyway.

This is the lighthouse I was telling you about. The very first picture I took with my new cell phone with a camera. I fell in love with my new toy. It is still one of my favorite pictures. It is the Point Isabel Lighthouse in Port Isabel which is right across the bay from Padre Island, Texas. Someday I am going to travel the world taking pictures of lighthouses....but this will remain my first and favorite......well a girl can dream can't she?

This sign was outside our hotel by the postage stamp sized pool in Hermosa Beach CA. It made me laugh. I found it amusing that the first instruction was for me to tap the victim on the should and shout; "ARE YOU OK?" I want to find a way to employ that technique in all aspects of my life. I want permission to tap on a lot of people's shoulders and shout; "ARE YOU OK???" I think it might answer a lot of my questions.

This is the first home that Mr. T and I purchased. It was a happy little home and occasionally I drive by just to say hi to it. I brought 2 of my babies there straight from the hospital. They learned to ride their trikes on the inclined driveway. I want to knock on the door someday and tell the owners to look for the love notes we all left with sharpie markers on the fold away stairs that led to the attic. Even 1 year old Lauren's scribblings.

This is one of my favorite pictures EVER of my two girls. We are having lunch at ChickFilA....what a surprise!!

This is the biggest strawberry I have ever seen. That is Peanut's hand holding it....and she has a full grown adult hand. It was simply amazing and I hated to eat it.....but we did....and it was good.
Well I guess that's all for today.
If you would indulge me...
I think I have one more cell phone photo post in me.
If not..
It should be safe to come back by Friday.
Toodles my friends.

I felt like someone was pushing me....

When Jack was serving in his first area Peten,
he assured me that it was the safest place in the mission.
Being a new missionary mom, I believed him.
I felt a sense of security.
Now a year and a half later he is serving in Zone 18.
He knows that I know the stories about Zone 18.
Of course he says that he is in the "safest part" of Zone 18.
But he doesn't need to keep the truth from me to protect me.
Heavenly Father has been taking care of that job, as you can imagine,
with perfection.
I don't always receive it perfectly but that is how it is sent and
it is enough.
Yesterday when we were sending emails back and forth...
(I just "happened" to be at my computer when he sat down to a computer in the internet cafe)
He was telling me where to try and book a hotel for our Guatemala adventure in September.
He said,

"the temple is closer to our mission

zone 15 is the nicest zone

zone 14 or 9 are good ones too

zone 6 and 18 are not! lol

but i love the people there =)

in peten just make sue it´s in san benito, santa elena, or flores

flores is really nice"
To which I replied,
"hey Buster you told me that Zone 18 was SAFE. lol lol lol
Man am I a seasoned missionary mom veteran not to get stressed out about the zone you are in???
You better be safe though!!!
or else."
And then he shot back....

"lol

it´s safe.. just don't read the Guatemalan news  lol

the temple is in zone 15

it´s nice there

oh btw

i prolly wont be writing again until Tuesday

we have a service project on Monday" (I included that part for the Guat North moms whose sons are in Jack's zone. ;)
To which I replied,
if it's about the 6 severed heads found in public places...too late. your dad filled me in on that one. (I cannot imagine why he told me) But I long ago had to leave all that on the Lord's shoulders so don't worry about me worrying, I try to keep it to a minimum. Do you still feel safe and protected? If not I will try to pray harder. lol Thanks for the heads up on Tuesday.
He then said,

yeah, that's the news.

didn't happen in my area though. so don't worry. i still feel safe

I then typed back,

Just make sure that you keep your head on your shoulders and follow all of the rules and I will try to not worry.
btw you ALWAYS say your area is not the bad area....good try. But thanks for trying to protect me. lol You are a good son!
There should be a whole gang of really muscular angels surrounding you. I pray for those guys EVERY night!
Do you ever see or feel their presences?
And then he sent this short answer that made me cry....it still makes me cry when I type this. But first a little background...
When he was serving in "safe" Peten he and his companion were approached by a man who stopped his car to get out and talk to them. Jack had a bad feeling and they kept walking. The man then exited his car brandishing a machete and yelling. Jack and his companion started running....fast. Now Jack has never been known for his athletic prowess but he said that he ran faster than he had ever run before. Yesterdays email answer explained why,
He said,

in peten when they were trying to kill me i did. lol

i ran faster than i had strength to run. i felt like someone was pushing me.
I know who was pushing him.
It was those angels.
They are not only big and tough they are
FAST
too.
I spent the rest of the afternoon with a thankful heart.

PPP stands for Priceless Phone Photos

I thought I had lost my cell phone last weekend.
I had had such a busy weekend with birthdays and graduations and church that I hadn't even noticed it missing
Monday as Mr. T came home from work and
after a day spent cleaning the fridge and the pantry and no email from the Elder in Guatemala, I
proclaimed, (yes it really had a proclamation type edge to it)
I need you to take me out to dinner!
(My memory is fuzzy on whether or not I used please in the proclamation)
And I must have looked like I needed it because Mr. T just said,
"OK let's go"
(You just have to love a man that doesn't question the occasional proclamation)
That's when I noticed it missing.
I searched and searched and no cell phone.
Since I had spent the day cleaning I knew that if it was in the house I would have seen it already.
Calls from the home phone to check on it's location since it was obviously out of juice since it went straight to my voice mail;
"Hi you've reached Shell's Cell I can't talk right now but leave me a message...beep"
I wanted to scream into the phone, "Hey Dummy where did you leave your cell phone!!!"
But I didn't.
I had already had a hard enough day and I didn't want to hurt my feelings.
After a frantic search
I gave up looking and went to drown my sorrows at ChickFilA.
I even ordered waffle fries which I hadn't had in 4 months.
It didn't help.
I couldn't stop trying to remember where I was the last time that I used my cell phone.
Midway through dinner I decided that it had to have been at Peanuts graduation at the huge and cavernous Toyota Center downtown.
I felt sick because I didn't hold out hope that it would be returned. There were 5 different high schools that graduated that day and 5 more the following day. There were thousands of people that passed through that place that weekend.
Darn it! I would have to buy a new one.
Midway through my chicken sandwich I realized the really sad piece of the story;
The money was one thing but the worst part was.....
MY PICTURES!!
There were pictures on that cell phone that did not exist anywhere else.
Unlike the thousands upon thousands of pictures that I have taken with my real cameras these were precious and few.

Since there was always limited memory on a phone, I was selective on the pictures I snapped  and deleted only those that were not important to my existence.
For example;
Sitting in the airport waiting to fly to Utah with my son for his first year of college...the first time to live away from home and the nervous look on his face.
The award ceremony that my daughter told me she would NOT be getting an award and so I did not bring my camera.....She got two! My trusty cell phone captured the moment.
The very first picture I ever took with a cell phone of a light house in Padre Island. It was amazing to me that not only did I have a phone that I could always carry with me but NOW it took pictures! I declared it to be beautiful and technology amazing.
I couldn't believe that these images were gone.
I really felt sick.
Even my chicken sandwich dipped in Polynesian sauce brought no joy....
I went home to wallow in my sorrows.
I had one last thought on where I could look.
My chair.
(yes I have a chair that I have proclaimed is mine! Others may sit in it if they dare but we all know that it is MY chair)
I  rushed home and yanked off the cushions and was ready to plunge my hand into the dark scary bowels at it's sides where odd and disgusting items collect when Mr. T came over to help.
He tipped the chair backwards and lo and behold...
MY PHONE!!
(what a knight in shining armor he was that night)
I gave Mr. T a hug.
I said a quick thanksgiving prayer
and went straight to my computer to download the pictures off of my cellphone.
Because pictures that are as precious as that should not be mobile.
So for reading my little ditty I thank you with a few images from my cell phone collection
Sit back and be prepared to be amazed. (or maybe just slightly amused...it's your call)

Mr. T decided that he would do a jigsaw puzzle on our short stay in Park City to drop Elder Nerent at the MTC. It did not seem likely that he could finish but he tried....even to just minutes before we were to catch a plane home. It was driving me crazy! I think it took him mind off difficult transitions)

Peanut and I were out shopping for the perfect homecoming dress. She wanted a headband with a flower. We found one and laughed until we cried. Opted for something just a little bit smaller.

A fun day spent with my sister Precious, Miss Leezie and Peanut on the strand in Galveston. My camera was too heavy to carry when shopping for treasures like these so out came the handy cell phone.

Pancakes at a place in Nashville that is world renown for it's different kinds of pancakes. I can't remember the name but I won't soon forget the maple pecan pancakes.

 Proof positive for my son in law that there really was such a thing as a TurDucKen which is a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a Turkey. It's really REAL!

Same said son in law who didn't believe in Turduckens with a score card after I beat him in a round of  a favorite family card game. Actually this was before he married Raar and after playing cards with us I marveled that he still was willing to join our family. Let's just say we take our card games very seriously.

My mom as "Wendy". No explanation needed I think.
Well that was fun.
Thanks for stopping by.
I think I will post some more phone photo gems tomorrow.
See you there??

Too Legit to Quit.

Just mailed this little guy a package to Guatemala.
A special birthday package.
It will be his 21st birthday.
(obviously this is not the most recent picture of him but one of my favorites.)
To most young men his age, it is a huge milestone.
He is legal
Legit in every way.
His drivers license, if he were here to spend the 3 to 4 hours waiting in line at the DMV,
would be changed from vertical to
horizontal.
I would be thinking about planning a big party
maybe a surprise party...
(he would hate the big fuss)
He might want the latest technology....
something with all the bells and whistles...
that would exceed my financial comfort level
but with his patient sweet persistence he might prevail.
And I would hug him....
A LOT.
And he might make a face or two but he would be patient with his silly mom because he is Jack.
But not this time
Instead I mailed a box.
Inside it was:
60 dark Hersheys Dark Chocolate Bars; enough to eat one each day from Monday through Friday and have just enough for him to share the last one with me in September. (I would have bought more, one for each day but I cleaned out my local grocery store. I think the checker was judging me for it too.)
1 leather belt that can switch from black to brown.
6 pairs of black dress socks with colorful toe and heel inset so that maybe he won't lose them as fast.
1 jar of dark cocoa powder almonds.
1 medium Tshirt that said 'Texas Pride; The Lone Star State" and has a detailed map of Texas as the background. A shirt that he would never wear here in the states. He might not in Guatemala either.
1 bag of Hershey dark chocolate pieces and
As much love as I could cram into a flat rate mailer.
The value of the presents inside: about 50 dollars.
The cost to mail it to Guatemala: 53 dollars
Not your typical presents for a 21 year old male.
So on that special day in July.....
there will be no parties or fancy gifts
no balloons or birthday cakes
and there will be nothing in his behavior to suggest the change from young man
to legal adult.
He will spend the day quietly serving the people of Guatemala
bearing testimony of Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen.
I could not be prouder...
(and I will get that hug 84 days after my baby boy turns 21)

Refueling...

Hello friends...
Did you notice I have been missing again?
Bloggone it!
I have sat down at least a dozen times this month with the intent of blogging
and ended up playing a rousing round of hearts instead.
Curiously though I have had a lot to post about.
But I was waiting for the perfect post.
You know the one.
The post that flows so quickly and freely it is as if
It writes itself.
Obviously that has not happened.
But one of your comments brought me back to my senses.
It was a comment written in Chinese.
I seem to get a few Chinese comments now and then.
Some of them seem like they are just from those hacker type programs that
just want to mislead you.
Some of them read like the fortunes from a cookie.
But every once in awhile there is one that makes me think that they read my blog and liked it.
How can I read them you ask?
(well that's a fine question)
I google translate them...every one of them.
I have an insatiable need to read and words whether Chinese characters or American letters are
food.
I don't think that the Google translation is a very good one because they always come out sounding a little strange like the dwarf on the show Twin Peaks who spoke backwards.
I don't blame my Chinese reader.
I know that if I spoke their language it would make perfect sense.
Still I try and figure out what they meant to say to me.
The one this week said,
一定要保持最佳狀況呦，加油!!!期待你發表的新文章！
which roughly translated (and I do mean roughly):
Must maintain this level of Yo, refueling!!! Look forward to your new article published!
I don't know what level of Yo I am on but,
I took this to mean that they wanted to read more.
I didn't need to wait for the perfect post
And they knew that my lapse in blogging was nothing more than my
refueling.
I like the idea of refueling
as opposed to my label for it; laziness.
So thank you reader who speaks Chinese.
You helped me refuel.
I am not sure if my blog translates into anything more than gibberish
or if you read in English and write in Chinese
but I didn't want to let you down.
I will strive to live up to higher standards.
Mean while enjoy a picture of two from my refueling sabbatical.

I am so proud of Peanut!! 
She did it!
I did it!!
My last few moments of public education documented in these smiles.
I have a lot to say on that matter but will leave it for the future and 
the perfect pos..........
Oh never mind!

My crush on Mister Rogers

I don't know if I have ever told anyone this,
But I had..have a crush on Mister Rogers.
I think of him every Monday as I am waiting impatiently for an email from Elder Nerent.
As I wait I realize that I should be doing something productive and so a song he use to sing comes to my mind,

Let's think of something to do while we're waiting
While we're waiting for something new to do.
Let's try to think up a song while we're waiting
That's liberating and will be true to you.
Let's think of something to do while we're waiting
While we're waiting 'til something's through.
You know it's really all right;
In fact, it's downright quite bright
To think of something to do
That's specific for you.
Let's think of something to do while we're waiting.


It always takes me back to my secret crush.
I never really paid attention to him when I was young,
Mostly because by the time his show was aired I was past my childhood prime.
I know my brother Baby Davey would watch,
And I as a know- it- all teenager  laughed at the Saturday Night Live parodies of him.
But then I became a mother.
And Mister Rogers more than any children s programming seemed to bring a sense of calm
and peacefulness to our house
Let's face it.
Sometimes he could be downright boring.
But it was a favorite of my children and it would buy me a half hour's peace.
I never understood why he needed to change his sweater and shoes all the time but hey...
Different strokes for different folks.
(btw: His mother made those sweaters that zipped by hand for him....ahhhh)
His puppets were crudely made and well let's face it again..
Lady Elaine was scary.

But there were days as a stay at home mother,
Where I didn't feel as happy or grateful to be home.
Attending to the mundane every day tasks that can seem never-ending,
I let thoughts creep in that maybe I wasn't always the best housekeeper
or the most patient mother.
Maybe I wasn't cut out for it.
Not every day.
But sometimes
and on one of those days I collapsed in a heap on the couch and just watched Mister Rogers.
He looked at me (I swear he looked right into my heart) and said
"You are special

Just the way you are."
And I believed him.
I watched him everyday after that.
Because he reminded me of something that I already knew...
But just needed to hear.

One of my favorite Mister Rogers stories is this about his accepting a Daytime Emmy:( excerpt from Esquire Magazine's coverage of the gala, written by Tom Junod)
" Mister Rogers went onstage to accept the award — and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, "All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are. Ten seconds of silence."
And then he lifted his wrist, looked at the audience, looked at his watch, and said, 'I'll watch the time." There was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn't kidding, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch, but rather a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked. And so they did. One second, two seconds, seven seconds — and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier. And Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said softly "May God be with you," to all his vanquished children.


So to you Mister Rogers...
I thought of something to do while I'm waiting...
Ten seconds
to think of you and how you helped me to become who I am.
Thank you.

Cheap Hotel

This is the view from our hotel on our recent trip to Los Angeles.
Every time I plan a road trip I spend weeks on the internet agonizing over every detail.
One of the biggies is the hotel.
The hotel choice can make or break a vacation.
(well maybe that's a little dramatic but you know what I mean)
I drive myself crazy reading every review and trying to stay within a budget.
Not too cheap but definitely not too ritzy.
L.A. was really a hard one.
The bigger the city...the more options there are.
I asked Baby Davey what his thoughts were since he lived there for about 8 years.
I told him that I was considering a Quality Inn in Hermosa Beach
He said that it was a good choice.
The whole two days drive to get to LA I wondered and fretted over my choice of hotel.
We would be staying there for 5 nights so I wanted it to be decent.
And it was...
decent.
It had a view of the ocean...kinda
And it was roomy and clean.
I was proud of myself.
After we got home my husband received a phone call from our credit card company,
asking him to verify some charges that seemed unusual for us.
He starting listing some of the places that we had used the card.
"McDonald's in Fort Stockton Texas"...check.
"Hotel room in Demming New Mexico"....check.
"Welcome center in Willcox Arizona".....check.
"Cheap hotel in Hermosa Beach"......?
HUH?
My husband asked him to repeat the last charge.
"Cheap hotel in Hermosa Beach"?
Mr. T replied,
"Well I don't know about that...It wasn't that bad a hotel..."
"No Sir" the operate replied....cheaphotel.
"The restaurant."
C-H-I-P-O-T-L-E.
"Oh Mr. T. chuckled, Yes we ate there."

I was reminded of that story while I ate at Chipotle today with Mr. T. and Peanut. For some dumb reason EVERY one in my family LOVES Chipotle. I do not share their feelings. My feelings can be best summed up by a quote someone wrote on facebook about Chipotle.
"Why It's Overrated: Eating in a Chipotle is like grabbing lunch in a high school metal shop. The hard surfaces create an echo chamber that turns table talk into a hearing test. The chairs and tables, welded into place like a bus station cafeteria, aren't conducive to the enjoyment of a 1,250-calorie burrito the size of a bed and breakfast pillow."
Today was particularly annoying as they had the temperature set at about 60 degrees and packs of adolescents kept coming in "talking" at the top of their lungs. Add some really really loud jungle drum music piped in and you have the makings of a massive case of indigestion.
Happy Saturday everybody!!

Happy Guatemalan Mothers Day

My mom doesn't think she is beautiful.
It is my experience that you cannot convince someone something about themselves.
Unless they want to believe it.
So here is my best effort....

My mother is beautiful.
She is from a generation that the world
will miss when they are gone.
She makes being a mother and wife seem easy...
and beautiful.
She was raised in an age where giving service to your husband and children
was not extraordinary.
It was expected.
But my mom WAS extraordinary.

She is an amazing pianist.
Her talents on the piano not only enriched her family's lives
but
served whatever ward she lived in.
I wish I had a nickel for every time she accompanied someone or played in the background.
I would be rich.

She was an excellent seamstress.
She not only sewed the clothes for my sister and I growing up. (matching of course)
but she made mini replicas of our clothes for our dolls.
I wish more than anything that I still had those dolls and their clothing.

Halloween costumes...no problem. Handmade.

even as hobos we were dressed to the nines.
Notice the curlers in my sisters hair.
Even as hobos we needed to be well kempt for church the next morning.

Pioneer parade.
The real pioneers only wished they looked as good.

Holidays and special occasions?
They were always special.
She could decorate anything and make it feel like magic.
Decorated cakes, centerpieces, handmade invitations
and do it all while rocking a swimsuit.
(sorry mom I had to put this one in)

She was pre Martha Stewart and her decorating empire
and made all of tablescapes from scratch.

Her holiday meals are now legendary.
I have only made my own Thanksgiving dinner a few times.
Why would I want to miss out on one of her feasts.
Happily I cannot compete.

She has patiently passed on her culinary skills to her granddaughters.
Which is good so that I always have a place to eat.

She skies alongside her husband.
To make sure that he is always safe.

She runs, jumps, tubes, bungee jumps, plays, and travels alongside her grandchildren.
Putting any of her own fears aside.
So that they have a cool grandma
and so they learn that they can do anything.

She slips them cash for things that their parents deem frivolous.
Things that make them feel a little cooler like
Doc Martins or
Vera Bradley purses.
She defends them when she thinks their parents are being a little too tough on them.
And there is no limit to the amount of time that she will tickle or scratch their backs.

At my fathers side she has traveled the world.
Sometimes in luxury but sometimes in the cheap
where a hotel room might have just a light bulb hanging from
a cord in the middle of the room.
She has hiked, walked, climbed, and posed through almost
every continent in the world.
Because she is curious,
but also just because she is a faithful traveling companion.
Russia, Peru, Greece, Japan, Holland, Spain, France, Brazil, Egypt, Morocco China,
and many other ports of call.

She has served faithfully in almost every calling that the church can ask.
She has been a ward RS and Primary president, a chorister, a seminary teacher, an organist, primary teacher, counselor, scout leader, Stake RS and Primary president and so on.
She recently finished a year long mission here in the Houston Texas South mission and is now the Regional Genealogy coordinator along with my father.
She is smart,
(Did I mention she was valedictorian of her high school class?)
funny, kind, hard working, loving, generous and devoted.
It is hard to imagine that she could have done anything more for her family and her God.
She has given me immense love and an example which seems impossible to ever measure up to.
But she has made it seem like she is just an ordinary mom
Doing what she can.
If that is not BEAUTIFUL....
then what is.

Happy Mothers Day Mom!
I love you
P.S. I am technically not late with this post as it is Mother's Day in Guatemala (really I am not kidding) and you all know how half of my heart is there anyway.

A New Helmet

I spent the day on memory lane today.
It's a nice place to visit but...
I needed to pick 20 pictures for a slide show for my Peanut to be shown at a church Senior Roast.
It is a tradition in the wards that meet in our building.
I did it for Raar.
I did it for Nerent.
And now it's Peanuts turn.
20 pictures to try and represent her from cradle to high school graduate.
20 pictures.
I scanned the first one....

I looked into those eyes and....
uh oh.
This was not going to be easy.

When this picture was taken I was in the thick of things
as it were
of Motherhood.
There didn't seem to be a minute that there wasn't someone needing something from me.
Sometimes I felt like if one more person called my name...
Mom mommy momma mama mother....
I would scream.
If one more person needed to be held or picked up or changed or fed.....
Sometimes when Mr. T came through the door I wasn't even sure that I could give him a hug.
I just didn't NEED anymore physical contact...from anyone.
It seemed like it would be that way
forever.

Wrong.
How could I have looked forward to this day so much.
And yet be so unprepared for it now.
It makes me think of the story I told the Primary kids on Sunday about faith.
The lesson was about how faith is strengthened through obedience.
I told about a time when Peanut was 8 or 9.
It was a rule in our household that if you were on something with wheels you wore a helmet.
And if the wheels were on a car...a seat belt.
I did a pretty good job of enforcing that rule.
Anytime the announced that they were going to ride their bike I would say,
"Wear a helmet"
(Groans and rolling of the eyes followed the edict)
But helmets were worn.
Peanut went to spend the night at a friends house.
I don't know if the rule was not followed there or if it was because the mom went out that morning,
But Peanut decided that just this once....
No helmet.
The phone call I received was a doozy
I could hear Lauren in the background screaming and crying.
The oldest child there was trying to get Peanut to talk into the phone but to no avail.
No one could tell me what was going on.
I finally yelled into the phone, "WHAT IS GOING ON? WHAT HAPPENED?
Peanut finally calmed down enough to tell me that she had fallen off of a bike and hit her head.
Her helmet-less head.
Mr. T and I rushed to the car and sped off. I prayed the whole way.
Please let this be OK.
Please don't let this be serious.
We got to the home and found Lauren crying.
Her yellow shirt was drenched red down her back
I was glad that she couldn't see how much blood there was.
I searched her curly tangled mop of hair for an assessment of the damage.
It didn't look too bad.
Whew.
We took her to the emergency room where they glued it back together and told us to watch for signs of concussion. The doctor said that she might throw up but if she did more than twice then we would have to call him to decide what was next.
She threw up three times.
I called and he said that we would give her just one more chance.
But no more throwing up or we would be back at the hospital.
We watched her all day and let her sleep.
I held her in my arms wihile stroking her matted curly mop of hair.
As soon as she felt better we would address the infraction.
The lack of helmet.
She was not prepared to ride a bike until her head was properly protected.

As I looked for 20 pictures of Peanut today,
20 pictures to represent her life....my life
I thought about that story
And realized that I am not sure that I am ready for this next phase.
I feel as if I am getting on a huge new bike......
Without a helmet.

I am definitely going to have to find new one.

It Started With a Wink post script

I wanted to add a post script to my story,
Of Mr. T and I meeting.
That has always seemed pretty amazing to me.
And I neglected to include it in the original post.
Mr. T and I grew up in the same stake.
For my readers who are not LDS
Church units are divided geographically into wards.
Those are the people that you see and worship with every Sunday.
The wards are then put together in unit called a Stake.
(sounds delicious but unfortunately there is no high end beef served there)
As a teenager you are constantly meeting with other teenagers in your stake
For dances and youth conferences and firesides.
(firesides are sunday meetings where there is a speaker...no fires.....no smores or anything)
Mr. T. and I grew up in the same stake
And I NEVER laid eyes on him until that amazing, heart beat inducing, photograph.
NEVER....
Trust me!
I would NOT have overlooked someone like him
Later I even found our names on the same committee for a youth conference.
An explanation, you ask?
That's a good question....
Fate, kismet, call it what you will
Sometimes things just work out like that.
Like on one of my favorite shows LOST,
They show the main characters in flashbacks walking by each other with no knowledge of their true destiny.
But when the time is right....
Dang!

And in other news.....
Here is what NOT to give me for mother's day....
Not that I thought you would give me anything
But just in case.......

I saw this on an infomercial at about 2 am.
You really have to see the commercial to appreciate the creepiness.
It is two stuffed arms.
They come in a box that looks like it might contain a dozen roses.
But no......it is two severed arms that you are suppose to wrap around your neck or waist.
But here is the best part....
You push a button....
And the arms talk.
In the voice of your loved one.
Talking severed arms.
Happy Mother's Day

P.S. again: After Mother's Day what do you do with your talking severed arms. Do you continue to wrap them around you? Do you put them back in the box until next year? Do you pass them on to someone else who might need a hug? Just wondering......