Conversations

Brooke hates to shower and  I'm not in love with blow drying my hair or anyone else's.  Sometimes she says, "If I shower, will you blow dry my hair?"  More often than not I say, "Sure."

So, while blow drying her hair she was looking at the perfumes on my vanity.  "Which one's your favorite Mommy?"  "Oh, probably Flower Bomb."  "Oh." "Do you wanna squirt?" "No thanks.  Is it expensive?" "Yes." "Can I have the bottle when it's gone?  I like how it looks like a grenade." "Sure, you can have the bottle when it's gone."  

She picked up my tweezers.  "Mom?"  "Yes?"  "Will you pluck my eyebrows?" "No sweetie, you're too young and you're beautiful.  You don't need to pluck your eyebrows." "They look like Justin Biebers." (Has anyone ever really seen that kid's eyebrows under all that hair?) "Who told you your eyebrows look like Justin Biebers?"   "No one.  They just do." "No.  No eyebrow plucking today."

I walk with a good friend that makes me laugh.  This was how our conversation was this morning:

"I think I scared Conner the other day."  "Oh good.  What did you do?" "Well, he was forming a snowball and was going to throw it at my car.  I stopped and yelled- If you throw that I will tell your mom.  I will tell your dad.  I will tell the Bishop!"  "What did he do then?" "He looked at me, finished forming the snowball, smiled, and threw the snowball right at my car!  I just imagined his father doing that at that age, and he turned out ok."

For some reason we laughed  until we cried.

Cabo

This time last week I was sitting on the beach in Cabo watching whales migrate, drinking virgin Pina Coladas on the beach (did I say that twice, "On the Beach?" Did I mention I LOVE the beach??!) , and bargaining on jewelry brought right to you in your cabana right-on-the- B E A C H.

We went snorkeling, kyaking, whale watching, walked along the shoreline, watched the sunset and the moonrise, and had guacamole with every meal.  There were so many whales it was like a Sea World show just for us.  When they would do a really huge jump and splash, people on the beach would clap and we just know those whales heard us!

My mother in law takes all of the daughters and daughters in law on a girl's trip every year, and every year it's fabulous.  Each year gets better as our relationships deepen and time together grows sweeter and sweeter.
We had a great time!  

Thoughts

Just listening to the world news can be devastating.  With all the unrest and sorrow people are facing as nations one can feel helpless and overwhelmed with the uprisings and cry for freedom.  While one can make a difference and begin a war for freedom in an entire country, we too can fight our own personal battles of finding peace and rest individually to become strong so we can help those around us or even our own nations if called upon.  There is one sure way to find peace and strength.  

Good Work

Our great church cleaning crew...

Not bad for 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday.  Fun! Fun! Fun!

Valentine's for Parents

Brooke's class put on a production of Romeo and Juliet for the parents just in time for Valentine's Day.  She memorized all of her lines and played the part of narrator.  It's great to see teachers that go above and beyond the call of duty.  The kids did a great job and I loved it!

Utah Lake FROZEN

We took a drive to check out Utah Lake the other day.
In case you're wondering this is what we found:

Yep. Still frozen. 

(Sam and Terrence were wise enough to stay in the car while Terrence encouraged others to step on the ice and laughed maniacally when the cold water rushed into their shoes)

A Different Breed

Conner's 14 now.  I can't believe it!  Where's the time gone?  

 Boys are so funny.  They are an entirely different breed from the mostly girl family we're used to.  When you see the pictures you'll know what I mean...

 You've gotta be quick with this group, because they don't hold still for very long. You've got one shot.

Conner's gifts consisted mostly of money pulled in wads from the boy's pockets.  Some cash was cleverly concealed in a Barbie DVD case (no doubt stolen from the boy's unsuspecting sister who will be blamed later for losing it).  I started getting suspicious as I noticed the theme of mula that kept rolling in, and asked Conner, "What the heck?"  He said, "Yeah, I told everybody I'm saving for an XBox and they were all more than happy to contribute to the cause."  

????????!

They bowled 

and ate and ate and ate pizza

Conner missed his cousin Dillon who was in Hawaii- but Dillon brought a pineapple on his real birthday and it was all good.

The Laser Tag was really cool-

Brooke didn't seem to mind she was the only girl.  I'm not sure she even noticed.  She does great with her brother and his friends and is able to keep up no problemo.

Then they earned tickets from the arcade-

 And got garbage I'm sure will be gone in a few days (Yes, I am sure because I'm the garbage monitor).

Then it was home with the family and some cake.

Conner was ordained a Teacher the next day at church.  It was a great day.  Terrence and I are very proud of Conner and love, love, love him.

Gr- attitude

The mind is a funny thing...

It can wander or focus depending on its owner.  The mind can be strong and powerful, or weak and fragile also depending on it's owner.

The other night I was giving into a wandering mind.  Not always a bad thing, depending on where you wind up.  There were some things bothering me and I was allowing my mind to wander and stop in a place I didn't want it to be but allowed it to linger anyway.  I was pondering a wrong I felt had been done to me and trying to figure out why it hurt so much and what to do.  It wasn't long before I was feeling angry and wound up.  As I laid down for bed my mind was still in that place.  It was keeping me from sleeping and enjoying where I really was.  It was taking my peace.  

Peace is one of the greatest gifts we can have.  It comes from God, but must be earned.  As I longed for sleep I knew I couldn't do it in the place my mind had wandered to.  I began feeling like I didn't want to feel that way anymore, but how? I knew I couldn't do it on my own and I began to take control again and focus and ask for help.  A strong impression then came to my mind, "Be grateful".  Be grateful for the lessons you learn through your trials.  Be grateful for the wonderful family you have.  Be grateful for your good friends and those who love you.  Be grateful for those who challenge and help to shape you.  Within no time I felt the peace I longed for and was able to fall asleep.

Later that week as I was studying a lesson, it was teaching that we should know what our modern day prophets are saying to us today.  It's as important for us to know what they're teaching as it was for those of Noah's time to listen to him about entering the ark.  I had watched General Conference, but it had been awhile and the words were no longer etched in my mind.  I found the most recent talks all in one place by President Monson and decided to study them.  One of them was "The Divine Gift of Gratitude".  It was a great talk and gave me so much to ponder.  He went on to say,

A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

I am grateful that even when my mind is wandering to places of unrest, that when I think to pray and feel most undeserving, my Heavenly Father loves me enough to remember me and speak peace to me.  When I remember Him I feel peace, I feel loved, I feel whole.