What Are You Passionate About?

This question made James come alive, but made me feel defensive and frightened. Why?? Why did I suddenly feel exposed and inadequate? I wanted to hide, and desperately wanted to change the subject.

Passionate? Me? Nothing. I have spent my life trying to perfect the even-tempered, imperturbability that seemed to me the ideal. Extremism in any form has always been distasteful to me, and always seemed mentally unhealthy. I guess being passionate equated with extremism to me.

Now, suddenly, in this context I could tell that being passionate was not only desirable, but seemingly essential to happiness. And yet I had none. Nothing. No passion here. Just empty imperturbability. Who wants imperturbability in place of passion??? No one. Well, I did; but now even I recognize that I must find SOMETHING that I feel passionate about.

How do I do that?? I don’t know, but I would almost guarantee that it will take time to discover what makes me passionate, and that it will most certainly involve some sort of TURBULENCE.

. . . So, . . .What are you passionate about?

Expressions of March

"'Shhh!' said Pooh. 'You'll wake the lion!' Pooh explained to Christopher Robin what Rabbit had said.

"'Silly old bear,' said Christopher Robin. 'It's just an expression. Some people say that when March weather comes in fiercely -- like a lion, it will go out meekly -- like a lamb. They're talking about the weather, you see, not a real lion.'

"Pooh and his friends heaved an enormous sigh of relief ...."
(Winnie the Pooh's March March!, A Disney Enterprises/Reader's Digest Young Families Book)

Yesterday, with the rain pouring down, and the wind blowing hard enough that the flags were straight and the trees were bent, I said to Ben, "March certainly has come in like a lion! We'll have to pay attention to see if it really goes out like a lamb."

This morning, the sun was shining in a beautiful sky. Ben crawled into bed beside me, and said softly, "It's a lamb day, mom."

Recognize Any of These Familiar Faces?

I told you he was fun and funny!!

10 Things I Love about James

1. He is an excellent cook! I've often told him that if this whole medical thing doesn't pan out, he could make it as a chef.

2. He is not afraid to show his affection for his family.

3. He always builds me up; he supports me in any interest I express.

4. He is a natural teacher. He is so patient with any sincere question from anyone, and will take the time needed to be sure they understand the answer.

5. He knows most of the answers to most of the questions I ask him. It's made me rather lazy at research -- I just ask James.



6. He is a die-hard BYU and OSU fan!

7. He wants to learn to fly. (In an actual airplane, not with a cape or wings or anything like that.)

8. Last year, he had the second highest score on his yearly ENT exam out of all of the residents in his program -- including those who were 1-2 years ahead of him!

9. At one point in his life, he wanted to grow up to be a mountain man. The hermit type, with a big bear as his pet.

10.He is funny, and soooo much fun to be around!

Mmmmmm!! Yummy and quick!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

2 medium baking potatoes, unpeeled
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions, divided (I used a small, chopped regular
onion.)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt

Pierce potatoes; microwave on HIGH 5 min., turning over after 2 1/2 min.
Cut potatoes into chunks. Combine potates, broth and milk (and regular
onion) in large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 6 min., stirring
after 3 min. Slightly crush potatoes with a potato masher or blend with a hand mixer.

Reserve 2 Tbsp. each of the bacon and cheese and 1 Tbsp. of the green onions for topping; set aside. Add remaining bacon, cheese, and green onions to soup.

Serve topped with reserved bacon, cheese, onions and sour cream.

Makes (4) 1 cup servings.

I have made all sorts of substitutions and variations. I haven't been disappointed yet! Hint: If you want to add broccoli, cook it separately, and add it after you've crushed/blended everything else.

Three Choices

I was reminded, today, of a saying I heard many years ago:

You have three choices in any given situation:
1. Accept it.
2. Change it.
3. Insist on being miserable.

We had a combined Sacrament meeting today with the other Ward and Spanish Branch that share our building. We arrived several minutes late, so we were in the very back of the gym. We sat down as the Sacrament hymn was ending.

Throughout the Sacrament (which lasted a loooong time because of the three units) there were two darling little girls from the Spanish branch running around the gym. I began to think that these two little girls could be rented to small armies in order to make their enemies think that there numbers are bigger than they are. It seriously sounded like a small army was running around.

I was a little frustrated that there were no parents intervening. Then, I realized that I could either continue to be irritated by the situation, or I could try to do something about it.

So, Brianna and I, with the diaper bag, stood at the stage. After several attempts to stop their running passes, I finally lured the girls into sitting on the stage as I fed them baby finger foods, one little cereal at a time. In this way, we passed most of the remainder of the meeting, and I heard the talks, which I quite enjoyed!

I do hope those girls don't have any food allergies! Of course, if their parents didn't like the situation, they had the same three choices!

Good 'Til 2016

The first Christmas James and I were married (1997), he gave me a pair of shoes that I had tried on and loved when we had been shopping together. They were wonderful! They were comfortable from the get-go. I never had to "break them in"; they never gave me blisters. I could walk in them for hours and my feet wouldn't hurt. They were my 'every day shoes', and I literally wore them nearly every day. At first, I received many compliments on my cute shoes. Somewhere along the line, the compliments ceased.

Last October, when my mother was out for a visit, she mentioned that my shoes could probably use a shoe shine. I told her they had received several in their lifetime and mentioned how long I had had them. I believe she gently teased me about my beloved shoes. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a little voice began to say, "It's probably time to get new shoes when your own mother pokes fun at them."

It only took me four months to finally go shopping for shoes to replace my everyday shoes. There were some stiff requirements for these new shoes: 1) they had to look good with jeans and nice khakis; 2) they had to be very comfortable, without requiring 'breaking in'; 3) they had to slip on and off; 4) they had to be cute; 5) they couldn't cost a fortune.

I found them on clearance at DSW while we were in Utah! Finally, new everyday shoes!




Still, when it came time to pack our things, James asked about my old shoes. I hesitated, thinking of all the good times we'd shared, and about how cruel it seemed to just toss them aside when I'd found some new shoes. Sensing my hesitation, James said firmly, "We're leaving them. You've gotten a LOT of good wear out of them, but they're past their prime." And with that, he tossed them into the garbage.

Farewell old friends! I shall always treasure the years we spent together.

Benjamisms

1. Earlier today: Holding a refrigerator magnet, "Mom, do you want me to Benonate this?" "Um, ... I don't know, ... what does 'Benonate' mean?" "Oh, destroy." "Um, no."

2. Later today: "I'm the Benonator because I Benonate things."

3. Announcement made EVERY TIME Ben needs to go #2: "Mom, I need to go poop, so when I call your name it means . . . ." Then he pauses for me to fill in the blank with "You want me to come wipe your bum." However, being the smart aleck that I am, I usually say something like, "I should stand on my head." Or "I should sing a pretty song." Or something like that.

4. Just before our trip to go have Brianna sealed to us: "When we come back to Ohio, Brianna will be ours forever, won't she?"



5. The day before Brianna's sealing, when he saw her dress in the closet: "Tomorrow's going to be a very special day ... for Brianna. It will be for us too, because she will be sealed to us, but tomorrow is Brianna's Day!"

6. Today, as we were leaving his preschool: "Goodbye Ms. Horne! I LOVED THAT FIELD TRIP!!!" (They went to the on-site Dental Lab.)

7. Today Ben learned about torpedoes, but he's having trouble saying it. It comes out "torquitoes", which I think is a cross between a torpedo and a tacquito. ... Maybe Taco Bell will start serving them soon.

8. While playing blocks with his Grandma: Holding a block over her 'spaceship' that she had built, "Let's pretend that this is a tornado, and that it's right over your spaceship." When Grandma suggested that the tornado go over his spaceship, he got a very sheepish look, and decided that maybe they could do without the tornado.

10 Cute Things about Brianna

1. She has become fond of saying, "Eh!" She'll say it over and over. It makes me think of someone who's hard of hearing. It is very cute.

2. She likes to raise her hand. When she does, I'll say, "Yes Brianna? Is there something you wanted to share?" She'll just grin from ear to ear.

3. She isn't particularly fond of being on her belly, but she doesn't mind as long as she is really distracted. Once she realizes that she's on her belly, she gets quite upset, and then she pushes herself backward with her arms. She can go clear across a room this way, getting madder by the second. (That probably sounds bad that I think it's really funny.)

4. She loves her brother, and it is obvious to all who see them together. She loves to hug and kiss him!

5. She has the makings of a great drummer. She loves to drum on her high chair tray, the table, the floor, and any other flat surface she encounters.




6. She babbles, "Dadada dadada" all the time; to which her daddy quickly responds, "Yes, Brianna?"

7. She is quite good at feeding herself with her bottle, but will hardly ever do it for her daddy (she just gets him to hold it for her : )).

8. She has a very cute, unique laugh, and is very quick to laugh for her brother.

9. When I say, "raise your hand if your name's Brianna." Her cute little arm shoots straight up right next to her head and she has a very proud look on her face.

10.When she plays peek-a-boo, one chubby little hand grabs her opposite wrist, and then both arms go up to cover her eyes. It is soooo darling.

Many Answered Prayers

We left Tuesday, and since Ben and I had free vouchers from our trip last May, we ended up flying separate from James and Brianna. It was a little crazy.

James and Brianna's flight ended up being cancelled, so they booked them on a direct flight. What a blessing. Brianna did sooooo well on the flight. She was such a good girl for her Daddy.

Unfortunately, Ben and I flew to one busy airport where we were stuck for about 14 hours, due to bad weather. Finally, they flew us to another airport where we slept that night. We flew the rest of the way the next morning. It was long and exhausting, but Ben did great as well. He was so good, even though he was so tired. He told James later, "It was so comfy sleeping on the floor of the airport. I didn't mind it at all." (I have a bit of a different take on that, . . . just ask.)

When we were, at last, all reunited, Brianna greeted me with a look that seemed to say, "Nice of you to make it." Then, she turned to Ben, squealed with delight and leaned over to hug him.

Brianna had been getting into the stranger anxiety stage before we left, but the separation from me for a day and a half seemed to exacerbate it. If anyone even looked at her (no exaggeration) she would burst into tears. If anyone tried to pick her up, she would start screaming, arch her back and turn purple she was so upset. Needless to say, we did a lot of holding of Brianna on our trip.

We were pretty concerned about how she was going to do at the temple. I asked Ben to try to help her in the waiting room, but assured him that if she insisted on crying that it was o.k. I didn't want him to feel responsible if she was having a rough time. We prayed and prayed that she would feel safe, that there would be angels present to help her, and that she would be able to enjoy (rather than be traumatized by) the sealing.

It was a total miracle in answer to those prayers. She was not only calm, but she looked like an angel. She just took it all in. She didn't even try to come to us when they brought her into the room. Ben looked so handsome, and was allowed to be there to witness. Then, James and I knelt and they brought Brianna over. They sat her right by us, and held her hand on ours. She looked at her Daddy with the most intent, serene face. It was as if she understood the sacredness of the occasion, and was soaking it up.

Afterward, when everyone was hugging us, she didn't get upset at all. She cried for a minute when they took her back to the children's waiting room, but calmed down quickly. When we came to get her, she was so happy.



Outside the temple, she seemed to understand that she was the star of the show. She was all smiles for the cameras -- and there were a LOT of cameras. (I suddenly understood what it must be like to face the paparazzi). She even let other people hold her. In fact, she did really well with other people for the rest of the day. The next day, she was back to her 'stranger anxious' self.



Our hearts are so full of thanksgiving for our beautiful daughter, and for the sacrifice of her wonderful birth mother. We are so grateful for our Savior who made it possible for us to be sealed to her for eternity. It was a beautiful experience which I will treasure up in my heart forever.