Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

Rarely, have I been moved by something this much.  I am indeed humbled and will try to be like this man.
Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

Swimming can be Exhausting

Sorry this photo won't turn.

How can this be comfortable?

And, for those you asking, why isn't she in a car seat?  She was.  We got home and I started unloading the car and and she climbed out of her seat and promptly fell asleep. 

The Pathetic, sad story of a suitcase

In front of you is one of the suitcases I got as a graduation present from high school.  This was the suitcase that I loaded up a bunch of clothes (the rest being boxed and mailed to my sister who lived in Utah and brought them to me at my dorm) and drove to Utah to attend Brigham Young University as a college freshman.  This same suitcase traveled many miles between Boulder, CO and Provo, UT during my time at BYU.  I also took this suitcase on a study abroad to Israel and carted this huge suitcase through Egypt and Jordan.  (I even dragged it with me on a train between Cairo and Luxor because I didn't trust the hotel that offered to store our suitcases for a few days.  Guess what?  Most people in our group got stuff stolen from their suitcases while their stuff was "in storage", so I was grateful I kept it with me.)   It then traveled with me to Argentina, and home again when I got sick and finished my mission on Temple Square.  Yes, you guessed it, it came with me there too.  I got married and packed for my honeymoon in this suitcase.  It has traveled to various places with me since I got married--California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Chicago, IL, St. Louis, MO, Ohio, Wyoming, etc.  I have taken it camping, on airplanes, in cars, trains and shuttles.  It's most recent use was a trip to Wisconsin over Thanksgiving to visit Dentist husband's brother. After that trip, Dentist husband said "Enough!  This suitcase is too big.  It doesn't work with a mother with four young kids and their luggage.  It is time to move on."  I will be honest, I got a little teary.  This my suitcase.  It has literally been my traveling companion for years.  And, look at it!  It still looks great and kept its functionality.  All of the zippers still work for heaven's sake.  

But then reality set in.  Next month, we are off to North Carolina to the Outerbanks.  That means six of us traveling with various layovers, hotel stops, etc.  We plan on flying to a few more places in the coming year and it would be good for each child to have their own suitcase to pull behind them in airports, hotels, etc.  

So, now you see our new "kid" suitcases.  They are small, colorful (easy to spot) and have easy pull wheels.  JCPenny's was having a great luggage sale and so I got these for a song.  

Will I ever get rid of the above mentioned suitcase.  As of right now, no.  Maybe later.  Time has a way of slowly easing my sentimentality and at some point, I might look back on this moment as silly but for today, it will go back in my storage room and hold all of the memories that I cherish with it.  So, it is not "bon voyage" but "until next time".    

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

~ Audrey Hepburn
(4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993)

Photos Stills from our Family Film Festival movie

For an upcoming family reunion, we were all asked to make a short film.  We will use this same film for Dentist husband's Family Film Festival later this year.  We take these things very seriously.  Filming took all day Friday and editing all day Saturday.  It is now "in the can" and I think, one of our best efforts.  Fun had by all.  

Be Our Guest

We finally got the bunk bed put together for our guest room.  It has a trundle underneath, so it really sleeps three.  You then add the queen and this room sleeps five with an option for someone to sleep on the floor if needed.  

Oh What do you do in the Summertime after Mom has dragged you to the mountains for a new family photo?

Eat at Babacoa.

Twirl in your Hannah Andersson "Twirl Dresses"--yes, that is what they are called

Go to the aquarium and see the penquins (photo taken by one of the toothsomes--they all tried, and this was the only one that really looked like anything.) 

Be brave enough to touch a starfish.

Pose.

.

Photo out of order:  Pose for your mom even though you spent all morning posing for a stranger in the mountains.  

Learn what it feels like to get touched by an Electric Eel (notice the wet sleeve from leaning over the water to touch a Sting Ray earlier.) 

Learn that you indeed taller than a penguin.

Sisters

Despite their coloring, they are indeed sisters.  

Evening with Old Friends

A few good friends of my husband's couldn't make it to my husband's 20 year reunion, so a separate smaller evening was hosted for a few of those people at his friend's house.  It was a fun evening full of story telling, laughing and reminiscing.  

This picture makes me smile.  Dentist husband is hilarious and this captures him and another good friend in "a moment" at the party.  It captures the whole feel of the evening.  Great time.  

My husband was lucky to have such great people in his life growing up.

11 Year Old Birthday's Can be Fun even when Unconventional

Because my son has a great 11 year old scout leader, they waited to do the 11 year old scout camp until he turned 11.  Exactly 11, because they went on his exact birthday.  She provided a cake for him and everything.

And, he got to go canoeing too.

Because I was with him that first day (so our 11 year old Scout leader's husband could go to work), we had dinner at our favorite burrito place for his birthday dinner.  No cake, or homemade meal but none of us minded, particularly me, since I hate making dinner.

Dentist husband and his "best friend".  (Toothsome #4 calls him her best friend.)  

Me and toothsome #2.  

And because he has been asking for one for several years, and he was going camping with the 11 year old scouts the next day, and it was his first time sleeping overnight without a parent present, we succumbed and bought him a DS he could bring with him.   He wasn't expecting it.  He really couldn't believe it.  (Either could Dentist husband because we had decided several years ago, our kids wouldn't own handheld video games.  But, after a long talk with me, he consented reluctantly.  I caught Dentist husband playing with it after Toothsome #1 went to bed.)   

And because his birthday falls the day after the 4th of July, we always light fireworks at our house on the 5th.  But, because he has three siblings younger than him that needed to go to bed, we did them when it was still light outside.

Unconventional yes, but still a fun birthday.

Happy Birthday Toothsome #1, you are a joy to us.  

Excitement is . . .

getting a new pair of tennis shoes and taking four different pictures of them on your feet.  

(Toothsome #3, age 6)

World Cup Thoughts

When I started dating my husband, he introduced me to the wonderful writing of the TV show, "The Simpsons."  I thought I was "above" The Simpsons (remember, I was an English major who was "so" into cultured things) and based on the first few years, it really was a pretty base show.  Then, they were wise enough to hire some really outstanding writers (Conan Obrian for example) and the show became a great commentary on modern life.  Daily it seems something happens and my husband and I end up quoting a Simpsons line.  Because of who I am married to and my natural love for TV, we have seen most if not all Simpsons episodes.

So, what Simpon's line has been in my head the last few weeks?  "I've watched hours and hours of soccer and I almost saw a goal!"

With World Cup in full swing, I thought I would be fully invested.  Being raised in Boulder, CO, youth soccer was a big deal.  All of my friend's played it and in my high school, attendance at the school soccer games was big.  As a missionary in Argentina, World Cup 1994 was on and our mission president told us when Argentina was playing, if we could find an inactive member's house to watch the game, we should go there, since the whole country would be watching it and nobody would answer their doors.  True story.

While a missionary in Argentina, Diego Maradona was having his huge soccer come-back, after being suspended from the game for 15 months because of cocaine being found in his system.  He was viewed and is still viewed by many as Argentina's best soccer player and one of the best soccer players of all time.   Interestingly, his comeback was short lived because they found drugs in his system during the 1994 World Cup (not cocaine but ephedrine).   (I am still amazed I understood all of this, in that it was explained to me in Spanish and that at one time in my life, I understood the language fluently enough to really speak and converse in it.  Very cool.)

But before Maradona failed that drug test, all of Argentina was glued to the TV, to watch Maradona play including young, American me.  I LOVED watching the games.  I loved hollering, "Maradona" whenever he would touch the ball.  I loved breaking out into the Argentine National anthem when they would score a goal.  I loved walking on the streets and hearing the every house shout, "Goal!" as we made our way home to our apartment.  I even started playing soccer on my P-day when all of the other sister missionaries would sit on the side and watch.  I wasn't good but I imagined myself to be good.

So, again, I thought I would really enjoy watching World Cup with my nephews and kids.

Not so.  It must have been just a "I'm a missionary and really getting into the culture I am living in" thing because honestly, these games go on forever and nothing happens.  And then, when something does happen, it is called as off-sides and no goal happened.  Or we think the game is over but no because there is the time clock and then the official time clock and "stoppage" time.  Oh and Maradona, now the current head coach/manager of the Argentine National team, looks horrible.  So sad.  I learned (in English this time), he continued to battle cocaine use for many years and it almost killed him.

I have heard once that Pele wrote an article outlining ten things to make soccer a more interesting sport for the general viewer.  He suggested getting rid of off-sides, no kick offs, etc.  Maybe if those things would be implemented, I will watch again with interest.  Instead, I will keep on hearing Homer Simpson say, "I watched hours and hours of soccer and I almost saw a goal."