Glorious beginning...

Inspired by Rochelle's post, I want to write about something that changed an awful beginning to a glorious one.

Monday was a long day. We awoke at 4AM Idaho time (3AM home time) and drove for 12 hours and 45 minutes with only 3 or 4 stops along the way (I can't really remember). We unpacked. We got the kids cleaned up. DH picked up dinner and then we drove to the Oakland Temple for our ward's annual Ward Family Home Evening night. We had a great picnic in the park behind the Temple, then it was off to the Temple itself for the "lesson". We were divided into groups and went to stations where we learned briefly (3 minutes) about the Temple, our Savior, and about being a Light to the world. Cookies finished off the night and we drove home. We put the kids to bed and crashed ourselves.

I was up all night with #4. I don't know why --I'm thinking growth spurt, now, since it's been happening all week --but he just wouldn't sleep for very long. However, when dawn came, I got myself ready to go walking with a friend at 6:15AM. Great walk! Next came getting the house ready for the arrival of some friends. The kids and I drove to the Oakland Airport to pick them up (EXPLANATION OF GUESTS: DH worked with the Deacon's Quorum --in several capacities--in our last ward for 5 1/2 years. 3 of those deacons are now graduated from high school and 2 have their mission calls. For 5 years, these boys would come to our home and hang out, eat our food, babysit our kids, do some chores, play x-box with DH, ask girl advice, etc. Two of them decided to come and see us. They are here for the week. They are like little brothers to me and it's so fun to have them here! I just wish the third one could have come...).
We then drove to the Oakland Temple for the boys to see it.
Tuesday night was again long. Very long. I didn't have a friend to meet for my 6:15AM walk Wed. morning, but DH convinced me to go. Sort of. I went because I was angry with him for trying to get me to go and I had to get away from the house. Yeah, I know, that makes no sense!
Anyway, so I went.
I forgot my ipod.
I huffed around the trail and opted to take the alternate trail my friend had shown me the day before. I got to the top of the very steep hill, where there are several oak trees growing in an oval around some grass, a few benches, and a tall flag pole with the American Flag flying up high. At the far end of the grass there is a memorial for the Vietnam soldiers from my city that had died in Vietnam. The wind was blowing; I stopped briefly to read the memorial. Nobody was around --it was the wind, the rising sun, my breath, the smell of grass, and the sound of ducks and geese in the distance. It was peaceful.
As I started down the hill again, I realized my anger with DH was unfounded, my frustration with no sleep would pass, and that I was amazingly lucky to be able to experience that peaceful moment that morning. No whining, no crying, no begging, no phone, no television, no requests, etc. Just me and nature and God.

So many details, and so little time!

Okay, so lots has happened and there's pictures to go with it all. So I'm going to have to start small...I'll give a run-down of my week and then tomorrow (or the next day...or the next day...) I'll give a report on the 10 year reunion:

• The drive to Blackfoot was soooooooooo long! I'm used to long trips, though, since I spent lots of time driving to Canada as a kid. My kiddies are FANTASTIC travelers (making a few treks themselves) and so it wasn't that bad. My SIL and my nephew drove with me so I wasn't alone for the 13 1/2 hour drive. It was great to finally get to my parent's house and see them and my sister and her son.
• On Tuesday, we headed for Rexburg to see my baby brother. We got to see his apartment (surprisingly, it was the first non-smelling and clean boys' apartment I had ever been in; of course, I didn't see the bathroom, though, so...), the Temple (magnificent! btw, it's still being built, but it's close to being done, so the outside structure was basically complete), and the Park. I had tried to find a way to get a hold of a friend that lives in Rexburg...but couldn't get a hold of her. Lo and behold, she was at the Park we went to!! It was great catching up with her.
• Wednesday was spent at Jensen's Grove Park; walking on the "new" (to me) loop twice, playing at the playground, throwing rocks into the lake, chasing birds, and....running into another friend!! So excited to see her since she was unable to attend the reunion. In the afternoon, the kiddies played in a sweet blow-up kiddie pool (that took FOREVER to fill with air) in my parent's front yard. Later that night I went to dinner with a friend (Rupe's! Oh, yeah, baby Rupe's is the best! I had a Pink Floyd, fries, and the All-American. My thighs hate me. My tummy says "thank you!!").
• Thursday was ZOO day! We took all the kids to the Tautphus Park Zoo (in IF) and had a picnic. It was just the right size for our kids (since the oldest is 6 and the youngest is 4 months) and we had a great time. In the afternoon, the kiddie pool was once again King. My SIL convinced my sister and I to don our suits and jump in with the kids. We had so much fun! Ward members later commented in Church about how great it was to see us in the pool with our kids, even if we did look ridiculous. :)

I'll report on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and yesterday later. Right now I've got to get to Costco and go pick up some friends at the airport. And yes, I'll have to write about that, too. :) Oh, and post pictures. ~sigh~ So much to do! Isn't it great?!?!

And Here We Have IDAHO...!

That's right, folks, I'm headed back to the homeland! The kiddies and I (along with my SIL and nephew) are driving to Idaho tomorrow morning. We'll be spending a fun-filled week with my sister, brother, parents, friends, and hopefully several members of the BHS Class of 1997! Our ten year reunion is this weekend, and since a friend and I are in charge of the whole thing, it's important that I be there (and finish all the crazy details we still have to do! ARRRGH!! I'll be glad when it's finally over... :) It's a good thing DH is flying out to attend it with me, since I've assigned him on as cleaner, setter-upper, decorator, and photographer).

So, I may be on hiatus for a little while. I'll let you all know how it went when I get back. Or maybe, if I have some down time, I'll write something from the fabulous Snake River Valley as I eat my yummy russets, smell the scent of cow manure, see the stars shining so brightly every night and hear the roar of the pickup trucks as they pass by on their way to Firth. Man, I can't wait! Seriously, I can. not. wait. I love Idaho!

Ode to my Father

My mom always says how lucky she is that she married my father. He was her best friend for years before they even thought of having a romantic relationship. My dad tells us that when he came home from his mission, he was inspired to propose to my mom. Since they had never really "dated", it was kind of a shock to them both. Within 6 months, though, they were married.


My dad truly is an amazing dad. Unlike a large percentage of the male species, my father rarely has to be asked to do something. He was always one to keep things organized and clean; on his days off, we would come home from school to clean laundry, an organized garage, clean bathrooms, and something yummy baking in the oven. Since both my parents worked, my father stepped up and helped my mom every step of the way. And he still does. This gave me high expectations of my eternal companion, and even though it's taken a few years, DH's batting average is really high. :)

My Father is a quiet man. People assume his is shy, but I think he's just good at observation. When he does speak, we listen; he has a fabulous sense of humor and quick wit. He is wise, and sweet, and...a great dancer! One of my favorite memories is dancing the waltz with him at my wedding.
My Dad was always there for me. I remember seeing his face at every single event I had (choir concerts, marching band performances, plays, recitals, etc.). He taught me about money, responsibility, the importance of church service, kindness, and respect. I remember being super sassy to my mom once years and years ago. My father, completely out of character, slapped my face and said: "Don't you EVER talk to your mother like that again!" I'm sure I hated it at the moment, but I never forgot it, and I am grateful that he loved (and loves) my mother so very much. He always showed us that their marriage came first! Some other things I remember: Spending time with him at his office when I was around 5 years old, my first date being with my him, his frustration in teaching me to drive stick shift, him falling asleep during the 10PM news, calling him to talk during my freshman year at BYU for advice, his counsel and kind words to me after a boyfriend and I had broken up (and I was devastated!), him bearing his testimony to our family one FHE while I was in high school, holding my babies and loving them at first sight, and his willingness to still help me whenever I need it.

My father has worked hard his whole life. He isn't afraid of hard work; he knows the importance of working before playing. He's been with the US Postal Service since 1985 (is that right? Correct me if I'm wrong, Dad) and was always known as the "nice mailman" in the community. He's always fulfilled his church callings, no matter what they were. He's always supported my mother in all of her callings and her job (as a teacher) as well.

I love you, Dad! I know you will always be there for me. Thank you for being so patient with my crazy personality and my random phone calls. You're the best and I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father let you me my Earthly Father. I'll love you forever.

Date Night

5:15PM: Finally get home from a crazy day filled with 10 year reunion "supply" shopping; birthday present shopping; a birthday party (a friend of the kiddies); a Costco run; visiting a friend; and a few tantrums/meltdowns.

6:00: Babysitter arrives, DH and I leave for the night. We even leave #4! This must be a real date.

6:32: Get on the BART. I figure we're going into the city (SF). Instead, we got off at the next stop in Walnut Creek. Sneaky DH!

7:00: After walking around down town Walnut Creek, we eat dinner at a fabulous Thai restaurant (and we knew it was fabulous by the small size of the place). DH ordered yellow curry (with a spiciness of 5 out of 5. Yowzah!) and I had to have the basic Pat Thai. We usually get the awesome coconut/curry soup, but we opted for the papaya salad this time. Yumm....I love Thai food!

8:00: For the first time in almost a year, we went to the movies!! We saw Pirates of the Caribbean III. It was great! And for those of you who haven't seen it yet, please stay until the end of the credits. There's more!

11:30: Headed back to BART; made out at the station for a few minutes (wa-hoo!); got back to our stop; drove home...Found that #4 would only take about 1/2 ounce of the bottle; he hungrily nursed. Other than that, all was well on the homefront.

Awesome date. We need to do them more often. Of course, after paying for dinner, the movie, and the babysitter, we probably can't do that again for a couple of decades. :)

P.S. #1 lost another tooth! Her 2 front teeth are gone. I love that gummy grin!

Depression is lifting...and other news...

Vitamin supplements are AWESOME. Since starting Omega-3's/6's, Calcium/magnesium, and B-6 Complex vitamins, my memory has improved, my energy has increased, my appetite has lessened, and my overall mood is more positive. I'm starting to think it was vitamin-deficiency related...

Exercising is now more prominent: I've entered a "Survivor" type competition, where each team must run a certain number of miles. Or walk. Or swim. So, in order to make sure I never let my team down, I've been walking like crazy lately. It's fantastic motivation and it's prompted me to start a kind of walking group. More details on that later...

My funkiness and my foggy days are gone. I no longer have "Days" --I have "minutes". It's a tremendous feeling to find myself again. The other day, while I was laughing with my children, I felt an exhilarating feeling and I thought, "This is me. This is ME! I'm back!"

In other cool news:

#1 is officially finished with Kindergarten! Today was her last day, and she won the award "Awesome Artist", because, for those who don't know her, she's a great little artist (I guess that would be obvious by her award...anyway....)

#4 rolled over! He babbles like mad and is moving all over the place.

Tomorrow night is a hot date with DH. Yesterday, I arranged a babysitter and called DH: "I got a sitter for Friday; we're going out!"

DH: "Awesome! Are you planning it or me?"

Me: "Pshaw! You are!"

DH: "YES!!"

I have no idea what we are doing, but as long as it involves dinner, I'm game.

My brother, a soldier...

My younger brother, "Big D" is a member of the National Guard. We went to see him on Sunday to say good-bye at a farewell ceremony. His unit left this morning for their assignment in Iraq. He'll be in Texas until August, and then they'll fly over to the base in Iraq; he'll be over there for at least a year.

Since he is an officer, my brother will be spending most of his time in Iraq directing other soldiers and hanging out in an office in a warehouse on a base --things that help my mother and his wife sleep at night. Of course, war is scary, anything could happen, but there seems to be an overall feeling that he'll come home to us safely. We'll be praying for him everyday.

I'm just full of new pictures!

We had our Family Pictures taken recently, too! (I'm just in a picture mood, I guess). Our great friend Janine took these while we were all camping at Gualala River over Memorial Day. Amazingly, I was able to clean the kids up enough to be photographed (we were camping, you know...) Anyway, like my friend Jan, Janine is also an awesome, awesome photographer. Go HERE to see her work! You'll love it.

Great photos of the kiddies...

Here are some fabulous photos of #1, #2, and #3. Thank you to my friend Jan for taking them! You're the best! If anyone would like to see more photos by Jan (a.k.a. Janiece), go here. She's an awesome photographer! Go check it out.

The pictures below of #4 were taken by moi. Of course, they are not nearly as professional and wonderful as Jan's, but they work. :)

One day at a time...

• Went to a fabulous and fun A's game on Saturday night. We enjoyed the Bay Alarm booth (DH's company), the D.A.R.E. booths, the $1 hot dogs, family (L and P and their kids!), and the amazing fireworks show from the field. To top it off, the A's won!
• Spent all of Saturday "day" cleaning the house. As a family. Together. No! I'm not kidding!It was DH's idea (man, he amazes me sometimes!) and we cleaned the house from top to bottom; the kids helped us, we helped the kids, etc. It was very nice to have a clean home Sunday morning. I think DH finally realized that even the simplest of household tasks (doing the dishes? Dusting?) was overwhelming for me. So now, after he has taken the initiative, we're trying something new. We're helping the kids make their beds each morning; they have to clean their rooms and the play room before we leave for the day or go to bed each night. We help them a little bit, but no more backing down! In the past we've let them get away without cleaning up after themselves. Or I turn into a psycho lady and create contention for us all. Instead, DH and I are going to just deal with the fact that if something needs to get done, we need to hover a little bit (not too much, but just enough.) So far, so good! We've been at it for only 4 days now, so you never know. Just 17 more days to make it a habit. :)
• I woke up to a bad day Sunday morning. I was in a terrible funk. I didn't want to go to church. I hadn't gone to our ward in 2 weeks. Nobody would miss me for a 3rd. But then I knew that was ridiculous; I had to go. My kids wanted to go. DH has his own responsibilities with his calling; I needed to go. And boy, am I glad I did! It was fast and testimony meeting. The majority of testimonies shared were about overcoming adversity and being grateful for our trials. Once again, in RS, the lesson was on avoiding the temptations of Satan and overcoming them. One sister talked about how depression can be greatly increased by Satan and how he gets in there and makes it worse; how we don't seek for help because we don't think we need it/are worthy for it. By the end of the lesson, my heart was burning so deeply with the need to bear my testimony. I ended up being the only one who had time to bear my testimony at the end of the lesson --and it was so wonderful to be able to share with the sisters of my ward how hard my life has been recently and how grateful I am that I have the Gospel in my life to help me. I think more then sharing those things, though, was how good it felt to have the Holy Ghost touch my heart again. I've felt so hollow the last few months, and this experience reminded me how greatly I need the Lord. (of course, after the meeting, several women came up to me to express their understanding because of their own depression. It was comforting to know I'm not alone. I even got a therapist recommendation!).
• DH gave me a blessing Sunday night. We had the children watch so they could understand how the Priesthood can work. They've never really had an opportunity for Father's blessings (except #1 when she started school last year), and so it was good for them to see their father being able to give their mother a blessing (and see that he was worthy to do so).
• I got a calling!! I GOT A CALLING! I can't say what it is yet, but I am so excited!
• Friday I went running/walking (okay, mostly walking) with my friend H. She kicked my butt! And it was her "down" day (she's training for the St. George marathon). Monday I walked with my friend C and did pilates. This morning, I went running/walking and did pilates all on my own! This exercising thing is fabulous.
• I've prayed every morning for the last 3 days. I'm so angry at myself for letting this habit slip!
• Yesterday #4 had a dr. appt. His pediatrician is way into vitamin supplements and the like, and so she helped me decide what would help with my depression but would be safe for #4 (since he still nurses full time). She was fabulous! The only down side to that appt. was the vaccinations #4 got; he's having some reactions to them. Not bad ones, but he's more cranky than usual. Poor little guy. :(
• My sister sent me pictures of my nephew yesterday. He's growing up so fast! He's a little boy now; I sure miss them. Logan is too far away.
• Ten year reunion is so close! Luckily, it's going to be fun! Sadly, hardly anyone is coming.
• #1 is almost done with her first year of school. I can't believe she'll be in first grade next year! And #2 will be in preschool. ~sigh~ I love that they stay busy and are in class (I'm not one to cry when school starts) during the day, but boy, they sure are growing up too fast, eh?
• If I stick to my new mantra (see the title of this post), I know I can make it through this fog. A few weeks ago I felt like I was drowning. Now I feel like I'm floating. This is a huge difference. I'm not expecting for it to be "cured" right away (and perhaps it will never be really cured). Like my asthma, I know this is something that I will need to work on for the rest of my life. If I can stay ahead of the symptoms, treat my body and mind right, then I know I can be happy.
• One day at a time... :)

Ode to Utah: What I Miss the Most Part III

The city was able to save (or was it other activists? I can't remember) the original Brigham Young Academy building and convert it into a really cool library. Most of it is actually underground. The children's section is unbelievable! During an average story time at the library, there would be about 100 people there. We would fill the step-down area to capacity and the storytellers wore cordless microphones so everyone could hear. Very, very different then what I'm used to now at the Clayton Library (although I just love it! It's small and cozy).

Thanksgiving Point was a favorite destination. Farm Country was so much fun with the kids; the Dinosaur Museum was out of this world! It was a little pricey, but it's the best museum for kids. Everything is practically hands on (literally: there are signs that say "hands on!"). The flower gardens are beautiful, the golf (DH tells me) is really good, concerts there are phenomenal, the "Barn" is a great place for events, and I ran my first 5K race there.

The Alpine Loop is just fascinating. You get the best of Mt. Timpanogos, Aspen trees, and tons of places to hike. DH proposed to me on the Alpine Loop. We had gone up to "see the change in the leaves" and after we pulled up to a place overlooking the Aspen Grove Family Camp side of Mt. Timpanogos, we got out, DH dropped to his knee, and the rest is history. :)

The grid system!! I LOVE the grid system. Give me an address, and I can find you without directions! Well, I can come pretty close, anyways. Here in California you have to know the area before you can go off looking for something. I'll get used to it, but I'll always praise the grid system!