Of Geese and Men

When I was on my mission in Michigan, I found the multitude of lawn decorations bizarre, and slightly humorous. One day, after seeing, perhaps the hundredth dressed up cement goose, I said to my companion, "If I ever have a cement goose on my porch, just shoot me!"

Well, when James and I got married, this companion, along with some of the other sisters we served with, pitched in and bought us . . . yup, you guessed it . . . a cement goose! He came complete with two separate outfits.

Being the good sports that we are (and not knowing what else to do with him) we named him 'Butch' and put him on our front porch. He was our "Guard Goose." Now, back East, this is acceptable. Out West, however, well, . . . let's just say Butch was a great conversation piece. We actually grew to accept and to love our Butch.

You may have noticed that I have been using the past tense. Not long after we moved back East, where Butch actually found some acceptance, there was an unfortunate accident involving a small porch, several bags of garbage, and James' derriere knocking Butch off of the porch. It was ruled as 'unintenional goose-i-cide'.

Well, today, I came across a letter I wrote to a dear friend after I received her thoughtful sympathy card regarding Butch. I share it with you now, in loving memory of Butch:

"You guys are the best. We can't tell you what your support means to us in this trying time. It's hard,...everyday when I go and come, I am flooded with memories of Butch. (It probably doesn't have anything to do with the fact that we haven't quite disposed of his carcass yet.) He was such a good guard goose. Always at his post. Never a single complaining "honk" escaped his beak.

"He stood there through sweltering heat and freezing cold. He never let down his guard, even with children playing with him, or migrating flocks of geese flying over head. He was always such a good sport when I found it necessary to challenge his ganderhood by dressing him up in festive outfits. When friends and neighbors would ask, "Where'd'ya get the DUCK," Butch never outwardly flinched, though inwardly, I'm sure he boiled with indignation at the insult . Few families are blessed with such a stoic, constant, solid friend.

"I want you to know that you were always among Butch's favorites. It may have seemed to you that he was indifferent, but that was just his way of showing how much you meant to him. I'm positive that he stood a little taller whenever you were around.

"Thank you again for you thoughtful card. Bless you for your kindness."

Call It My IV Cocktail

Yesterday, after wrestling a nap-deprived Brianna and an unusually unruly Ben through Sacrament meeting, and then teaching Sunbeams at the last minute, I asked James if he could write me a prescription for IV patience. He informed me that it was a controlled substance beyond his authority or training to prescribe. . . . Dang it.

That got me to thinking of all of the things I would like to have in IV form:

Patience, of course.
Humor - extra-strength, please.
Wisdom - who couldn't use more?
Motivation - specifically targeting the cells that control cleaning of the dishes and taking care of the laundry.
Financial Intelligence - this doesn't come naturally to me.
Creativity - I hear it comes in handy.
Deseret Book's Time Out For Women - I got to go Saturday! Seriously awesome and totally inspiring!
Tolerance - sometimes I could use an extra dose, especially when dealing with non-customer oriented employees at businesses.
Oh, more Motivation - this time targeting the eating right and exercising cells!

I thought about chocolate, but that kind of defeats the purpose, right? I mean, I want to TASTE the chocolate!!

So, what would you put in your IV cocktail?

Kindergarten, Grandparents, and Butterflies, Oh MY!

We were so blessed to have James' parents visit with us all last week. It was so fun! We made a lot of great memories, and they spoiled us, as usual. We visited the waterpark, and the US Air Force Museum, and sent Ben off to his first days of Kindergarten! We love them so much and are so grateful that we had that opportunity to spend such great one on one time with them.








Ben was a little nervous on his first day of school.



He cheered up a little when I tried to wear his backpack.






Here he is exiting James' parents rental van on his way into Kindergarten for the first time.























And here we are in his classroom on the first day of school! Yay! We made it! No tears, and he did great! Ben is loving school so far.

Brianna just loved her Grandpa! Here, she's settled herself down into his lap with one of her favorite books, and a make-shift desk.

Ben and his daddy had caught some caterpillars; they had turned into chrysalises; and while Grammie and Grandpa were here, the first one hatched!! Sooo cool!

Ben did Grammie's hair! Ooooh, how pretty!

Then, they made silly faces together for the camera! (I'm sure Mom is soooo happy that I'm posting this :)

Here Ben is getting ready to fly an F-15. Brianna and I are part of the Ground Crew!

Trust me, Brianna takes her work VERY seriously. She did NOT like it when we had to leave!

A Sampling of the Maaany Reasons I'm Glad I Wasn't A Pioneer!

Occasionally, I get into this mode of thinking of all of the many reasons that I'm grateful that I live now, and that I was NOT a pioneer. Here are some of my thoughts/reasons:

NOW: With contacts, my legal blindness is practically a non-issue.
THEN: My legal blindness would be debilitating.

NOW: In the heat of summer, I enjoy the cool of air conditioning, wearing shorts, deodorant, Icee's, etc.
THEN: Loong dresses, body odor, sweat, certainly no flip-flops, etc.

NOW: I hate to do laundry now, and all I have to do is put it into the washer, put it into the dryer, and then hang, fold, or iron it.
THEN: Can you imagine????? Ugh! No wonder they didn't have large wardrobes!!

NOW: I get into my airconditioned (or heated) car and drive wherever I need to go.
THEN: Well, there's a reason the song says, "Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked." (Don't get me wrong, I love a good walk for pleasure or exercise. But mandatory walking?? Please! Count me out!) Oh, and the horse and buggy thing, . . . really not too appealing. Especially if you're down-wind of the horse!

NOW: Feminine products, disposable diapers, etc.
THEN: Double UGH!!!

NOW: Medicine, pain relievers, toothpaste, etc.
THEN: Death. Pain. Rotten teeth. Etc.

NOW: Digital Cameras.
THEN: Daguerrotypes.

NOW: When we're curious about something we look it up with our high-speed internet.
THEN: I guess you'd find the nearest gossip or know-it-all and ask. I guess there were some libraries back then, but probably not very accessible.

NOW: James will get paid with money.
THEN: James would have been paid with peaches, bread, or other tradeable goods. (Although I do love peaches and bread! :)

NOW: Indoor plumbing.
THEN: Out-houses; streams; bushes; etc.

So, . . . what things are you grateful for NOW that they wouldn't have had THEN??

Top Five Lists

Things I was doing 10 Years Ago:
1. Teaching Preschool at Challenger.
2. Exercising regularly (4 times/week).
3. Going to the temple once a week.
4. Helping with my sister's wedding preparations, and then planning my own wedding.
5. Getting married to the greatest guy in the world!!

Songs I know the lyrics To:
1. "This is the time" by Billy Joel
2. "Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles
3. "Spirit in the Sky"
4. "The Eensie Weensie Spider" and a slew of other children's songs.
5. "Ben in the Field" by my son. Here are the lyrics:

That was a close call!

That was a close call!

When it was time for me,

As quick as a wink,

I fell down a hole!

And that's the story of

That was a close call!

That was a close call!

Thing's I would buy if I were a Millionaire:
1. Pay off all of our debt: student loans, home loans, etc.
2. Send my parents and James' parents on missions.
3. Camper or camp trailer.
4. A greenhouse for James.
5. Take a really great vacation with my family.

Things I would never wear Again:
1. Really huge, baggy, over-sized shirts.
2. Leg warmers.
3. Jelly shoes.
4. A ponytail on the side of my head.
5. Bright hot pink lipstick.

Things I would like to do Someday:
1. Exercise regularly.
2. Attend the temple monthly with my hubby.
3. Take control of my sweet tooth.
4. Learn to enjoy gardening.
5. Visit Samoa.

Favorite Toys:
1. The computer w/high speed internet.
2. Legos - one toy I actually enjoy playing with my son, and that he can play with on his own for hours at a time. (It caters to his creative mind.) Here's his Santa lego creation:

3. Fisher Price Bouncing Zebra toy - has provided lots and lots of fun and entertainment to my baby girl, which provides me with joy and entertainment! (See recent posts for pictures.)
4. Cell phone -- how did I live for so long without one????
5. Children's interactive computer games. They allow me time to get things done while keeping Ben occupied and engaged, thereby lessening the guilt factor!

I Tag these 5 People:
1. Dede
2. Sarah
3. Monica W.
4. Tania S.(do you even read this???)
5. Lindy-lou

Ha! Something New and Cool

Brianna was having such a ball playing on her zebra, I just had to share! (Plus, this is the first day that my blog has made it simple to upload my movies!! Yipee!)

Playing Tag!

I've been "Tagged" by my good friend, Jamie. So here goes:

4 jobs I've had . . .
Server at Golden Spoon (before it became Golden Swirl);
Accountant (sort of, accounts receivable for my Dad's business);
Preschool teacher;
Massage Therapist.

4 movies I could watch over and over. . .
Hard to narrow this down to just four, but I'll give it a try: Anna and the King; My Big Fat Greek Wedding; Castaway; and Master and Commander.

4 places I've lived . . .
Apia, Samoa (just for my first six months of life, I don't actually remember it.);
Sandy, Utah (where I grew up);
Columbus, Ohio (Go Buckeyes!);
Portage, Michigan (on my mission).

4 favorite television shows . . .
Gilmore Girls (which I don't get anymore, sniffle, sniffle);
24 (intense, well-written, but very violent.);
M*A*S*H (I used to watch this twice a day when it was on);
Extreme Make-over Home Edition.

4 places I've been . . .
Washington D.C. (for James' med-school interviews);
Montague, Michigan (home of the world's largest working weather vane);
Rock Springs, Wyoming (for job interview -- nice sky);
and Rio de Janiero, Brazil (vacation)!

4 favorite foods . . .
fruit smoothies;
good, heavy, fresh bread;
pretty much anything with guacamole as long as it's not too spicy;
and chocolate with mint, or peanut butter, in just about any form.

4 websites I check often . . .
www.pandora.com it's awesome, you can create your own radio stations that only play music that you like!
www.brayandco.com wasting waaay too much time looking for next year's house!
All of my family's and friend's blogs!
Our bank account. (No offense, but I'm not putting the link on for you!)

4 hobbies . . .
eating;
checking my e-mail and my blogs;
sleeping;
trying to keep up with my children.

4 people I tag . . .
John, my brother
Corrie, my friend
Hilary, James' cousin
Andi, my new e-friend.

You're it!

10 Years and Counting

Yesterday, James and I had our 10th anniversary!!! What an amazing 10 years it has been! I was head over heels in love then, and I can honestly say that that love has grown in so many ways. We have definitely faced some trials, but they have served to strengthen us. Our marriage isn't perfect, but I wouldn't trade what we have for anything. There have been the occasional hurt feelings and disagreements, but in all that time, there has NEVER been an intentional injury, and every disagreement or misunderstanding has been handled with mutual respect and gentleness. There has been much laughter and fun along the way. James is my perfect match in every way. I love him with all my heart and I feel his love each day. He is kind and patient, gentle and wise. I am so grateful that God lead us to each other. Happy Anniversary, James-y!

James brought home these lovely flowers for me!

I got up at 4:45am to make this yummy breakfast for James. He had to take it on the run with him.


For our anniversary, I redid our bedroom: new bedding ensemble, new wall decor, new window treatments, and I reclaimed all of the cluttery areas!

Ben wants me to write "THE END", but I know that truly this is just "THE BEGINNING!"

My Family In Pictures

James and Ben drawing with sidewalk chalk. That's the kind of man I married.

Brianna helping out. That's the kind of girl she is.

Let's walk to Ben's school. We'll use the GPS to see how far it is. That's the kind of man I married.

Ben was supposed to be getting into his jammies. Instead he came out dressed like this and announced that he was Mr. LouLouLa. That's the kind of boy he is.

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