Points to Ponder

A man traveling on a lonely country road got a flat tire. He found his spare in the trunk, but no jack. In the distance, he saw the lights of a farm house. He set off on foot toward the house to ask if he could borrow a jack.
After walking a while, he realized that the fields he was walking through probably belonged to the family in the farm house. He felt a little unsure as to how they might feel about a stranger cutting through their fields. But, with no other option before him, and the sunlight long behind him, he continued on.
A while later, the farm house lights turned off. "Oh great," he thought, "now I'll be getting the farmer out of bed." His imagination began to take flight, and he could just see the old farmer answering the door with a shotgun, and an unfriendly dog.
"It's not like I had a lot of options," the man thought defensively. And the more the man thought about the whole situation, and the more he imagined the farmer's cold greeting, the more he got upset.
Suddenly, he found himself pounding on the front door of the farm house. When the bleary-eyed farmer answered the door, the man shouted, "I don't want your %^*+#@ - >%^*+#@$# jack anyway!!!" And he turned on his heel and stalked back to his car.

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An old man sat on a park bench near the main square of the city. A couple approached him and asked, "Excuse us, but have you lived here long?"
The old man replied that he had lived in this town his whole life.
"Oh, that's great!" the couple replied, "You see, we're thinking of moving to this city, and are wondering if you could tell us what the people are like here."
"Well," replied the old man, "what are the people like in the town you're moving from?"
"Oh, they're just the most wonderful people you'll ever meet! We can hardly bear to move!"
"Oh," drawled the old man, "I think you'll find people to be about the same here."
"Oh, thank you! We just knew it!"

A short time later, another couple approached the old man, and asked the same questions, for the same reasons.
Again the old man inquired, "Well, what are the people like in the town you're moving from?"
"Oh, they're just awful! We can't wait to get out of that town and away from the lot of them!"
"Oh," drawled the old man again, "I think you'll find people to be about the same here."
"We had a feeling," they replied and went on their way.

A young fellow had overheard both of these exchanges, and couldn't help but to ask the old man, "Why is it that you gave each couple such different answers??"
The old man thought for a moment and then replied, "It's my experience that your life is really a mirror of what is inside. I actually gave them both the same answer. What is different is what is inside of each of them."

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In Mormon's parting words he counsels, "Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been."

We ALL have imperfections. When we are made aware of someone else's imperfections, do we condemn them, or do we thank God for showing us so that we may learn to be more wise?

A Death, A Grounding, and A Gift

My desktop computer died. I mean really died. There's no pulse. It was really old, like a dinosaur. It had a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). The problem is: there was a LOT of important information stored there. Luckily, it was a donor, so it's possible that the hard drive could be used in a transplant. However, in the meantime, I've lost all of my e-mail addresses.

So, I'm asking a favor from my dear friends and family: please e-mail me with your address, phone numbers, and credit card # (ha, ha), so that I can create a new contacts list, I would GREATLY appreciate it. My e-mail address is the first initial of my husband's name, the first initial of my name, our full last name, at bresnan dot net.

THANK YOU!!!!!!


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Now for other news:

I am grounded from e-bay.

I very rarely go onto e-bay. I have made a bid a handful of times, sometimes on things I REALLY wanted to win. And have NEVER, I repeat, NEVER won a bid. However, approximately six weeks ago, I was feeling curious about how much a daybed with a trundle would cost to buy for Brianna. James and I had discussed the possibility of buying her a new bed for her birthday, . . . this coming June!

So, I got it into my head to start looking around. I searched all over the Internet, and it was looking way more expensive than I had thought.

When I decided to check out e-bay, it seemed an innocent enough thought. When I found a beautiful twin bed with a trundle, at just a fraction of the price of the others I'd seen, I made a bid -- without even thinking. I NEVER expected to win the bid. Did I stop to consider the gargantuan shipping cost? No, silly, I didn't stop to think about ANYTHING. I KNEW I would never win the bid. But, lo and behold, I guess there's a first time for everything.

We still haven't received the infamous bed. But, perhaps, I was not as crazy as I seemed. You see, shortly after said e-bay encounter, Brianna stopped sleeping in her toddler bed. She simply refused. She happily slept on the floor of her room. She'll sleep in other beds. But not the toddler bed.

So, last week, in an effort to gain some redemption (from the e-bay expenditure), I posted her toddler bed on Craig's list, and it quickly sold.

When I went to put her to "bed" that night, an interesting thing happened to me. I had been fine with her sleeping on the floor, when I knew that she had the option of a bed right next to her. It was her choice. But to put my baby to bed on the floor in a practically empty room, where she had no comfortable option, seemed criminal. I couldn't do it.

So, Ben and Brianna had their first sleep-over. Ben happens to have THREE beds in his room. He has the great bed that James built to go over the futon, but the futon is no longer in Ben's room. So, in a much wiser purchase, (off of craig's list) I bought a twin bed, with a trundle that fit PERFECTLY under Ben's bed. (It has already come in handy for guests, and now for Brianna).

This was all a really long explanation to get to the picture of what James found when he went to check on them later:

Good thing there are three beds in there.



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And, lastly, when Ben returned home from school yesterday, he presented me with this gift:



He explained to me that this was a massage rock for beetles or medium spiders.

I assured him that I would use it whenever I found myself massaging a beetle or medium sized spider.

Am I BUGGIN' ya? I don't mean to BUG ya!

Ben was in a school program all about bugs. We had to create a bug costume for him to wear. We turned his black sweat shirt inside out, and put yellow electricians tape in stripes. Then we stuck orange pipe cleaners through a winter hat to make antennae. But the wings were the best of all. James made them from some wire hangers and bubble wrap! They looked really great.
Ben had two performances; one for the students on Wednesday morning, and one on Thursday evening, for the parents. When he got home on Wednesday, I asked him how it had gone. He replied, "Don't EVER make me wings out of bubble wrap again! Everybody kept chasing me around the gym to pop the bubbles! Even when I asked them not to, they just couldn't help it!!" I couldn't help it, I was laughing my head off when he told me! Then, he said, "And you made my wings too big! I couldn't turn around during the songs, or I'd be knocking people over!" You guessed it, that made me laugh even harder!
During the evening performance, when the other kids turned around during the song, Ben looked right at me, and we both busted up!

So, do ya wanna know why we were late for Stake Conference yesterday?? It was all Brianna's fault! She just looked so darn beautiful that I had to take some pictures of her!!

What beautiful children/bugs I have!!

Me, Just Thinkin', Friends, Misc., A Prayer

I'm not sure what to write. I haven't had any brilliant insights, or really any deep thoughts for quite sometime, it seems. I was re-reading my posts from last November and had the very distinct thought that I liked who I was one year ago, much better than I like who I am now.

Many key things have improved in my life over this past year. I am so very blessed. However, I am feeling a bit lost, and am trying to get my feet under me. It's all part of moving, I guess.

Last time we moved, it coincided with the beginning of James' rigorous training. He began working 80-100+ hours per week. I was in a totally new town, didn't really know anyone. I had a one year old, and was a stay at home mom. James was gone, and even when he was home, he was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. He had nothing left to give. Though I didn't fully recognize it at the time, I fell into a deep depression.

Strangely enough, I think it was my decision to go back to work after about eight months that started to pull me out of my depression. It was only part time, two days per week, but I see it as a turning point in my downward spiral. Perhaps it was having to be dressed up and to someplace on time. Perhaps it was the interaction with other adults. Whatever it was, it helped.

There were/are wonderful people in my last ward who reached out to me, and continued to reach out to me, and who didn't give up on me even though I was very hard to reach. My shy tendencies combined with the depression did not make it easy for them. I count them as some of my very dearest friends. Whenever I sing "Nearer My God to Thee" I think of them when I come to the line: "angels to beckon me, nearer my God to thee". They are sisters of my heart. Their strength, wisdom, examples, friendship, and the beauty of how they lived their lives and how they reached out to and served me and each other truly lifted me, and helped me to become a person that I actually liked. They helped me to find a voice and a confidence that I had never before enjoyed.

I'm afraid I've lost some of that now. I may be one of those people who needs a really strong support system in order to be a balanced, positive contributor to society. I'm struggling with not having any close friends here yet. I'm struggling with figuring out James' and my roles in our new situation. And, I'm afraid, I'm struggling with another downward spiral.

I want to get back to that person that I was and liked a year ago. But, I must say, I don't want any of the trials back that have passed, whether in full or in part. Although, I am grateful for the growth and blessings that have come from them. I suppose that this is a new trial, of sorts. I'm sure that new growth and new blessings will come with this new trial. Maybe I'll even start having insights and deep thoughts, and maybe a friend or two. . . . I wish I wasn't so hard to get to know.

Can a person take all of the wonderful things that they've learned and become, and still retain them even with a cross-country move that feels as if it's turned their world on end? I know a person should be able to; but can THIS person?

Oh, please, Father in Heaven, let me retain my old friendships, and create new. Let me build on the lessons and blessings that I have received, and help me to receive any new blessings and lessons that Thou hast in store for me. Help me to be able to make a positive impact on those within my circle of influence. Help me to enjoy the blessings that each day has to offer.

O Por Satrda

The lyrics to Ben's most recent song, entitled, O Por Satrda (Oh, Poor Saturday):

Oh, poor Saturday
Forgets his underwear
Forgets his socks
Runs into Mrs. Weirdy
Never sees the sun
Everyday is late for school
Goes to the Principal everyday
His mommy gives him spanks all day
Never lets him run or play
Oh poor Saturday!!

For your convenience, I translated from the phonetic spellings. I will try to get video of him singing this for you.

A Fun and Adventurous Weekend

Look at these cute kids! Ben felt that he needed to look very intense for the pictures -- we don't know why, we don't question why.
Brianna absolutely LOVED trick-or-treating, and made a point of informing most people that she was dressed as a "fuh-fie fairy" (a butterfly fairy). She would turn around so that people could get a better look at her wings! She was really cute about the whole thing.

Then, Saturday morning, we headed off on an adventure to attend our first BYU game in a decade! It was so fun, and really quite an exciting game. BYU won, (which may be due, in part, to Ben's prayer) but it was a close, back and forth game with LOTS of mistakes. Strangely enough, that does keep a game very interesting and exciting!

I included this first picture because I look so amazingly fabulous! Apparently, James was taking our picture while I was busy eating a mouthful of popcorn. Oh well.

Isn't she the cutest little cougar fan?? She loved Cosmo, but she did keep getting confused. She kept saying, "Go Buckeyes!" I guess you can take the girl out of Ohio, but you can't take Ohio out of the girl!

Every time the other team would score, they would fire a cannon. It was quite loud, and Brianna didn't like it a bit. However, it wasn't until after the third or fourth time that I finally figured out what she kept saying afterward: "Softly! No slam the door!"

Ben liked the game as well. He was able to follow and understand it pretty well. Afterward, at the hotel, he and James watched the end of the Texas vs Texas Tech game, and Ben was really into it, and commenting. It made me smile to hear him sounding so grown up. Brianna kept yelling at the TV "Get him! Get him!" I guess she learned a thing or two about football, too.

Brianna almost got to meet Cosmo, but that was as close as they came. We had pretty good seats, and could see the field very well.

On our drive home, Sunday, our car began to malfunction as we came over some very BIG mountains. The accelerator just decided to stop accelerating, so we turned around and limped back, on a different, flatter road and ran into this scene. James immediately pulled over and jumped out to get some great pictures. In the end, we went to a Checker Auto Parts, where they checked the codes and found that it was an O2 sensor malfunction. They cleared the code, and we drove home just fine.






I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!