What you want to be eventually, that you must

be everyday; and by and by the quality of your

deeds will get down into your soul.

from: Put A Cherry On Top

by: Ben Behunin

quoting: Frank Crane

Can You Haiku?
We all know its a good thing to try something new...to stretch and grow.
Its a goal of mine to be creative each day...whether its writing or some silly art project or taking the 'perfect' picture of the desert. Even cooking a new recipe could count...but heaven knows I havent tried that in a while.
Names come to mind...for me to try and write about..to pay honor to..to show them that  I love and admire them...
This time it was Blake Brindley..Brian's very best friend. But this time words were hard to come by for me with this handsome man. So I took my own challenge and tried a creative route..something I've not done since high school or college.  I thought I'd  learn about Haiku's again and see if I could compose one for him. Its a challenge...because the guidelines say that Haikus are normally written about nature and the senses. I wanted to write one about a person. (Im always pushing limits arent I?!)
But over a period of time and a creative push, I've 'created'  a few.

Growing old certainly does have its perks..Im printing these with hardly an ounce of concern for the opinions of others. Who cares. At least I tried. I enjoyed the experience of trying.

March winds

came two sons, different mothers

heavens' gift to one another.

(oops..haikus arent suppose to rhyme...)

Testosterone based

Lusting for life on edges

Starting  at noon.

Two bashful boys
turn statuesque and assured
sally forth good men

*


Many anxious nights
longing for returns
muffled footsteps bring relief 

I dont think I'll make a dime or earn any honors for my Haikus...but this truly was a fun experience..to learn and try my mind at something new. Hopefully Im a good example to Blake and Brian..to always try new things. Or maybe in reality that is what they do for me..for they are masters of risk and new undertakings. oh to be young again. But not too young...

Love this man...love what the two of them are for each other. Brothers from different mothers. They came into the world just a day apart...friends for a lifetime.

Godspeed Blake...you are loved!!

There are so many fun sites to learn and to read haiku's. This site is one of my favorites. Check it out if you'd like. Go Here.

Thanksgiving 2013

All sorrows are less with bread.

from: Don Quixote

by: Miguel de Cervantes

There can be no doubt that each person  who traveled over the river and thru the woods to this grandmothers house for Thanksgiving this year, will have a different take on how the day looked and went. (In fact, it would have been fun to take a survey of adjectives that our visitors would  use to describe it.) This is the beauty of family get-togethers I suppose.
The following is my take on the  gathering.
There was a great deal of traveling involved with this Thanksgiving. Grandmas try not to worry about all the traveling...there's those highway speeds and driver error and the overall margins for catastrophe  in such undertakings. My Mom and Dad, and Joe and Natalie will get this years prize for traveling the longest distances....all the way from St George.  (and may I just say it again...It will never cease to amaze me that we can travel the whole length of this great state in just one day...in just a fistful of hours. I still imagine the pioneers and anyone else taking this trek, before the invention of the steam engine... and it took weeks of toil and trouble. Its a marvel that will always marvel.)
Im so grateful that my folks went to the trouble and expense to join us. It would not have been a complete celebration without them. I can only now imagine  the adjectives my folks would use to describe their visit here. I think they spent the greater part of their time here in stunned amazement at how much motion and noise can exude from such small little bodies of kinetic energy known as great grandchildren. Mom was ever the busy bee, wanting to help wherever she could and dad was once again the Master Turkey Chef!! Our 29 lb turkey..which quickly became a 30+lb turkey after being stuffed with his prize winning dressing, was once again a divine hunk of white and dark moist meat!! YUM!!! Thanksgiving isnt Thanksgiving without Dad's turkey!!
Gratitude is a paltry  word to use when I think about the journey Joe and Natalie took to get here. Over rivers and thru woods was the easy part Im sure..what with 3 rambunctious boys in the back of the mini-van. As far as Im concerned it was 48 hrs. of bliss once they got here. Wishing it could have been longer was fruitless...so Im staying grateful that we had them all at once. To have them under the same roof sharing breakfast, and smiles and making crafty things ...plus their sharing with us their HAPPY,HAPPY news about another beautiful baby joining their family in July was bliss on top of bliss!!  My major inroad with this dear family....was holding Beckham with nary a squeal!! In fact I was able to squeeze a sheepish grin from those adorable chubby cheeks!!! Score!!! Another lovely addition that came with Joe and Nat was Natalie's little brother Zac. Oh what a little gentleman that 11 yr old is. We were delighted to share our table with him and to get to know him a little better!!
Next visitor..who I suppose has a legitimate case to plead for the prize for traveling great distances would be sweet Lucie Lou, Davids daughter. Lucie now live in the boondocks of central Nevada. It was quite the drive for David to go and get her. We sure are glad he did though...for Lucie is a gem of a girl and her sweet face added beauty to our Thanksgiving table and celebration!! We are grateful that she gets to stay with us until Sunday!!
Clark and Jenna and Brian and Mericar were the next guest to arrive. Their travels thru woods and over rivers happened in the wee hours of the night...and I missed their actual arrival for I can no longer keep a  late night vigil. I didnt hear a peep in fact. I didnt hear the air pump blowing up the air mattress in the very next room. I didnt hear whispers or the goodnight kisses. I guess I was sleeping the sleep of the dead. But oh what fun to have young love under the same roof as ours. What a blessing it is to have such fine young ones amongst us!!
And last, but certainly not least, dear Brent and Kelly and kids arrived, having made the journey from Salt Lake bearing arm loads of goodies and smiles galore!! What a welcomed addition to our our feast!! More beautiful faces at our table and a crockpot full of heavenly yams  and leafy greens to boot!! Once again words will not express how welcomed their visit was for us!
Anna and David were perfect hosts.  Anna finds great joy and satisfaction in cooking for the masses. Her carrot cake will go down in history along side Grandpa Sharps turkey. Their sweet little Will will be remembered as  the 'prince of the ball'. The copious contents of their fridge will always be remembered as satisfying.  David acted as the outdoor ringmaster. The kids would follow him anywhere...even when the temps were cold outside!!
So all that was missing from our near perfect Thanksgiving celebration was dear Rob and Chels this year. Traveling over rivers and thru woods just wasnt in the cards for them this year.  They were sorely missed. Perfection is a hard thing to achieve...but boy were we close this year!!
The following is time lapse photo/video that clever Clark set up...unbeknownst to me!! It too is near perfection in my eyes. These are the days that sparkle as magnificent gems in our often dull crowns of life.

 Thank you all, for coming.

Let there be music.  Let there be a bountiful feast.

 Let there be dancing in the streets. Let the misbegotten

sons of peasants who inhabit this dreary

 place pay homage to a Princess.

from: Papa Married a Mormon

by:  John Fitzgerald

My Builder and I took a lovely 24 hour jaunt to Salt Lake on Friday after work.  Saturday morning was the baptism of  and celebration for Amber.  We weren't  going ;miss that happy occasion!! And oh what a joyous event it was! Amber is 8 yrs old going on 15. A wise and beautiful soul with the tenderest of hearts. Her parents have raised her well; as she has raised them well too. I am blessed to have such a tender niece. I am blessed to belong to such a wonderful family. Im so grateful my mom and dad would travel up for this occasion as well.  I miss them.
Baptism is a big deal. Its a lot to take in and understand for 8 yr olds.  But I feel certain that this particular 8 yr old understands more than most.  Her big brother, Josh, gave a beautiful and personal talk on the importance of baptism.  And her dad gave a thought provoking talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I plan on remembering some of the things he said- Like when you want Gods advice in your life, all you need to do is ask and then get up off your butt and go serve! In the process of serving others, that is when our answers will come.  Genius!

I spent a few tearful moment on the phone on Sat with my son Joe. He and his family are moving back to St George...lucky them...and Saturday was the first leg of moving day. They loaded a trailer with a  load of things and headed out. I had been hoping to see them and see the boys before they left...but it didnt happen, and it broke my heart.  Natalie and the boys will be back...for a while.  Joe needs to find a place to live down there and then they will join him.  And I will make every effort to get back to Salt Lake to see those boys...and perhaps kidnap them for a few days and bring them back here with me before they all leave for good. But on Sat. I was just plain sad about it all...and Joe heard me cry.

Its amazing to me how much fun one can cram into a little over 24 hours of time though. Friday night was spent with Clark and Jenna and Brian and Mericar.  I wanted pizza...and boy oh boy did I get pizza and a good time.  A favorite place of Clarks is The Pie...up by the University.  So we all piled into a borrowed mini van and headed up there to satisfy my need.  Can I just say...YUM!!!
Then we rented a James Bond movie-Skyfall- and went back to 'Hotel Ehlert' and watched it on their big screened tv and ate popcorn.  FUN!!

Saturday evening I landed 2 tickets from a very generous lady...you know who you are ...mother of Jordan...Ms Margo!!...for the Relief Society general Meeting in the Conference Center downtown. I looked over at my mom and just knew I needed to take her down there with me and attend. The 3rd ticket materialized...and so I called Brians girlfriend, Mericar...who is thankfully a spontaneous soul, and she joined us too!! We were all spiritually fed ...and the train ride home was a fun adventure. Way to go mom for jumping in and going along with the craziness!! It'll go down as a most memorable night.

Happy Sabbath 

Day One of my California Adventure

When active, strained vision only obscures and  frustrates,
looking away often permits the eye to see and interpret the shapes
 of what it sees.  Thus does inattention allow the mind to
register the still, small whisper of the daughter of the voice of God.
from: The BeeKeepers Apprentice
by: Laurie R King

Dearest Friend,                                                                                   9/5/13
Im on the train, with no cute paper to write on, but IM ON THE TRAIN!!
I had no idea it would take 2 1/2 hours to go from Ogden to Provo....its a fast train for petes sake. But no matter,,Im on a new adventure, and words cant begin to explain how excited, relieved and anticipatory I am for my Cally trip.  We used to

vacation a lot in days gone by. Now Im having a hard time remembering the last time I went away.
Can I just say I love trains!  They will always mean adventure to me!! Europe is ALL about trains and train stations. Oh how I revel in my memories of all the places I have been.  Just listening to this train brings some of those memories right back...the clicking and clacking and the weaving of the cars as they move along, the doors hissing open and closed. And all the different people coming and going to who knows where. Its the best!!! Just for your information...the bests trains are in Japan! Bullet trains defy imagination.
More random information...this Frontrunner cant even sell me a Pepsi-oh well-I wont let that trivial flaw get me down...Im happy to be here!
I cant wait to find you the perfect sea shell!! It'll be my mission. It'll be great!!

I plan to be on the beach every single day. I plan to learn to surf and to ride bikes, and eat lots of seafood..real seafood.
I know its  bad to start out on a trip with this encroaching attitude...but Im already trying not to think about returning home.  I need to put that out of  my mind and enjoy each day for the gift it is to be away and doing what I want to do. That will be my mantra for this trip.  ENJOY THE DAY...and stop thinking about the end of it all. Reality and Logan are hard to to swallow at times.

Since Im on the train, I wont be able to find the music and videos that you recommended me to listen to, but I promise to check them out soon.  I look forward to it.

The train is now speeding past Lagoon! Have you ever been there? I have good memories of that place too. Its not Disneyland...but we had fun there. I see that its closed for the season. So sad. That means winter is just around the corner.  Bah Humbug.

Ah...kissing on train platforms...so romantic.  silly me  This is only a commuter train.

When I get to Provo my boys will pick me up and we'll go to dinner somewhere yummy!! I think its going to be to a Pho place. Oh how I Love Pho!!  Theres a place in St George that makes pretty respectable Pho. You should try it some time. Its delish!!
Then it'll be early to bed and EARLY to rise  and start our road trip!!! Whoot whoot!!! Its going to be a 91/2 hour drive. I love road trips!!

(I suppose we are definitely going faster than the cars on the highway...so why in the world is this going to take 21/2 hours?!!?) oh yeah...Im supposed to remember to enjoy the journey!! Im too excited to nap, though the rocking and sway of the cars is conductive to sleep.

I see that I've begun to ramble. Sorry.
I'll sign off now and write again from sunny, bright California!!
Love you!!

P.S.- did you know that short shorts are back!?!?  I know we shouldnt want to wear them... but they take me back to my good ol days-BC-before church.  When my hubby describes our meeting one another (at USU) it always includes a description of my white short shorts. Silly me.  Naughty me. Silly hubby.

P.S.S.- I love Sara Bareilles!!  I guess I shouldnt be surprised that I havent heard of any of the other artists you mentioned. Im old, remember?  Do I dare admit to you that I like country music? Did you know that about me? I love a good story set to music.

How about this random fact...I had a goal...I wrote about it on my blog.  I wanted to learn how to ride my bike without hands.  Guess what!!!??  I can do it now!!  Im pretty proud of myself.  Its a simple pleasure.  Hopefully it empowers me to conquer the waves and to learn to surf!!

(Now I see why it takes so long to get to Provo!!! we are creeping,,,really creeeeeping through the Salt Lake valley, and making lots of stops.)
You had no idea you'd be receiving a travel log from me did you?

The Salt Lake mountains sure are beautiful. No one could dispute that.

There are some other wild things I'd like to do while in California:
-get a tattoo
-ride a bike to Mexico
-spend lots of money...but it takes money to spend money
-see a shark
-see dolphins

As soon the train rounded the point of the mountain and entered Utah Valley, the clouds began to do their 10 Commandment thing over the mountains. And it began to drizzle.  I didnt write my friend about what I could see through my train window because I was too enthralled by what I was witnessing.  When the train pulled into the Provo station and I disembarked - there was a magical double rainbow framing the tall peaks right in front of me.
I took it as a sign.
...as an omen.
This trip to California was going to be all that I hoped it to be. I had an even greater sense of anticipation than before.

I also didnt write to my friend about finding the perfect Pho restaurant with my boys and their women! I didnt tell her how happy I was to share the hugest most delicious bowl of deliciousness with Jenna!! (did I say delicious enough!?!?!)  And about how it felt to spend time with my grown up children.
It was such a lovely evening.
I also must  mention that my Good Builder sent me off on this adventure with his blessing.  With nary a whispered breath of complaint.  He did nothing or said nothing to make me feel guilty for going. (There must have been a 'look' in my eyes....???)

Stay tuned for Day Two of my  California adventure. An adventure that had nothing to do with amusement parks, but had everything to do with rest, relaxation and recharging and the sea.

Peace friends

There was such an incredible logic to kissing,

such a metal-to-magnet pull between two 

people that it was a wonder that they found

the strength to prevent themselves from 

succumbing every second.  Rightfully, the world

should be a whirlpool of kissing into which we

sank and never found the strength to rise up again.

from: Bel Canto

by Ann Patchett

Love is in the air....
Autumn is as well.

One of these things causes me joy,
The other...a sinking feeling of dread and despair would be a more accurate description.
A surprise visit and our first frost all in a few short days.
Can you guess which one is which?

My youngest and his beautiful girlfriend warmed my heart...
It was a wonderful thing to return from the alley where I was hauling empty cardboard boxes in the recycling dumpster, to see Bri and Mericar sitting in booth #1 just waiting to see my reaction to their secret trip to Logan.
I reacted positively....big hugs and smiles all around!!

The visit was way to short...but beggars cant be choosers...so Im grateful for anything at all.
We chilled, we went to church together and ate yummy meals. They harvested goodies from the
garden..took a leisurely stroll in the canyon around the reservoir  and caught up on some much needed sleep.
Perfect for them.
Perfect for me.

Bless them for making time to come up.
May they be blessed in their school and work and with the process of  becoming even better acquainted
with one another.

Peace my friends.

Seek freedom and become captive to your

desires.  Seek discipline and find your liberty.

from: Dune

by: Frank Herbert

 Its amazing what one can find in the dumpsters in an apartment complex! I think this may be a treasure...depending on what I can do with it to make it mine...creatively speaking that is...any ideas?! Bri has a great one..Im just wondering what anyone thinks I could or should do with this!!? I think it cool!!!

 Sweet Anna fixed her dad his favorite meal for his birthday...Lasagna!! And this is even better..'cause its make with squash instead of noodles! We have squash coming out of our ears here in the garden, and there is no better way to eat it than to smother it with cheese and tomato sauce!! Yum!!! (notice her cute table that she and David and My Builder helped her to create too!! darling!!!)

 Anna also somehow tempted her brothers and Jenna up to Logan to help celebrate My Builders birthday! It was so fun to have them for  24 hours and to go to church together!!  Love these people!! So very much!

 And yes..this is real! This is indeed a tomato grown in our garden! We are going to be canning tomatoes this weekend I think!! Plus..they are as delicious as they are big and beautiful!! We are lucky!! We are grateful!!

Baby Benjamin is almost 7 months old...and this weekend he's experiencing his first bout with the common cold! And Im here to tell you its much harder on his parents than it is on him!  He's a trooper!

And...this is where I have spent the vast majority of my time this week...and will be from here on out. Its not red rock, and Im not gathering coral dust...instead I come home covered in dishwater stains and ketchup smears. My feet ache...but its not the same as that fabulous pain after a hike.  Im meeting good people, and I love being busy and working.

FAMILY PICTURE 2012

There ought to be a whole separate language,

she thought, for words that are truer than

other words- for perfect, absolute truth.

from: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant

by: Anne Tyler

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!

Now I need your help deciding which of these two photos is the best?

Chelsea had to work with babies, gale force wind, and shadows.

I think she did an amazing job!  I love them both!

Which one!!??

Respect is not fear and awe: it denotes, in

accordance with the root of the word 

respicere=to look at, the ability to see

a person as he is, to be aware of unique

individuality...means the concern that

the other person should grow and unfold as he is.

from: The Art of Loving

by: Erich Fromm

 Logan...a wanna be cowboy

If dirt is any indication of a good time...then dear Liam was in HEAVEN!!

Beckham is a NOT wanna-be cowboy...at least not yet!!

There is nothing like sitting on the back of a horse and racing along a trail to help  forget ones troubles. Arent simple pleasures a blessing.  I am so grateful when they come my way.
Once again, while My Builder stayed home, building and getting his hands dirty and a kink in his back doing a landscape job...I went  and played with horses and the grands.    I can make myself feel less guilty about my behavior by thinking about my future and how 'constricted' I may soon be feeling once I get a full time job. When this happens I will no longer have weekends like the one I just enjoyed. So eat drink and be merry for tomorrow I may be employed!!
So play I did!!!
I rode horses without boots...until I scraped  a few layers of skin off the fleshy soft spot on the inside of my ankle. I played 'til those old, long neglected riding muscles began to protest....especially on the inside of my knees.
I played with the grands and my brother at the community pool, even though I couldnt rummage up my swimsuit anywhere...I got plenty wet any way.
In a way this all feels like a last Hurrah for me. Brian played, Joe, Rob and Clark too...all before school starts...and work begins for maugh!!
So My Builder and I reveled in the company of the grands as we watched the neighborhood fireworks for the 24th...Pioneer Day!! Ending the long weekend with a BANG!
Im so grateful for our family that lives in Salt Lake; who are so willing to bunk us, feed us and sometimes entertain us too.  I was rodeoed, and walked; I relaxed, read, visited, got rained on and soaked in some rays.
Returning home meant returning to reality. It's reminiscent of those days of yore, when you knew summer was almost over and school was looming.  Im feeling unsure about what's in store...or at least unclear on the details. But I feel the change coming.  Full time employment will cramp my style but at the same time it'll open new possibilities, challenges and unknowns....all things I enjoy, usually.
So stay tuned...for further updates.
Peace!!

MIMI MONDAY

We must love the world, and what is in it, as

we love all that feels and all that moves.

Once again a withdrawal doctrine is trans-

formed into a participation doctrine.  The

World itself is a composition of the Love of God.

from: Four Essays on Love

by: Truman Madsen

Mimi and Popa had a wonderful weekend in Salt Lake!
Seeing and playing with the grands is where its at.
Pioneer Day in Salt Lake is also where its at!!

 First a great parade in Bountiful!! Which had scary clowns and loud floats that spooked my dear Olive a bit!

 (im only holding my phone...not using it...Im out of minutes anyway!!!)

Then it was on to the park for an impressive fireworks display!!

The next day was fun in the sun at the pool!! Good times and even better company!!!

 that would be clark...dropping from the sky!!

Mimi lives for weekends like these!! Thank you good family for making the effort to hang together and share good times!! I love you all more than words can say!!