To Make Me Smile...

Five Guys on the Navy base in San Diego, CA.

Go, Idaho Spuds!

When a Heart Breaks...

...it's hard to see sorrow in the world.

Like a recent tornado that killed 18 totally innocent people.

And, the destruction is mind boggling.  Incomprehensible, actually.

BUT, another kind of sorrow is one in which people make

bad CHOICES;

the consequences of which can NEVER be altered.

And, sometimes the sorrow from that just goes on and on....

There is no rebuilding of broken lives, shattered dreams, broken children.

And, a heart hangs heavy no matter what.

LIFE; a challenge at times...

Time to truly truly try to understand and use the Atonement.

Keeping a Commitment

My religion does not practice the fasting period during LENT,

BUT, many Christian churches do something I find compelling.

They give up something that is significant to them - for the forty days before Easter (Lent) - as a sign they are willing to follow Christ.

I've done this before, but this year, I decided to give up something I enjoy on a regular basis....

POPCORN!

I love popcorn.

Its saltiness, its crunchiness, its taste.

Oh, yes, I am a fan of popcorn.

Recently, at Costco, I went and bought a HUGE bag of popcorn popped with our new oil of choice - Coconut oil...oh, yes, it's very good.

And, then I decided to give it up for LENT.  I just wanted to show MYSELF that I could give up something I love.  I wanted to prove to myself that I could show some strength of character in the strong urge for food.

So, there is the huge bag of popcorn...it's been sitting in the garage for 40 days, tempting me, taunting me, teasing me, luring me...

to pop some into my mouth.

After all, my religion doesn't follow this practice.  And, if I ate some, WHO knows, who CARES?

Well, I do.

I made that commitment, and I want to be stronger than my body, which most times I am not.  And, so the huge bag of popcorn sat for 40 days; not touched, not eaten.

And now, here it is Easter morn; the most glorious of all morns!

LENT is over,

I can have the popcorn.  It will taste good -

But, I'm glad I stuck to my commitment.  I'm glad I didn't give in.

I'm glad I kept my promise...even if it was only to myself.

What the DICKENS?

Sometimes I wonder why I love Dickens' books so much?

They are verbose, antiquated, long, sometimes tedious.

But, having said that, I realize that he has such insight into the human heart and soul.

He captures the minutae of everyday life in all its complexities and its tediousness.  HIs characters are so REAL.  His plots and subplots are delicious.

Sometimes his descriptions of people or events or feelings leave me all goose-bumpy.  I know of no other writer who is able to do what he does so magnificently.

I LOVE listening to the books on tape.  Some of the readers are just phenomenal with all their varieties of voices of the different characters.

So, even though they are long and wordy,

I'll endure them.

And, even more,

ENJOY them.

Weighty Matters

The woman on the television program had lost a lot of weight...impressive indeed.

BUT, she works out EVERY DAY for 4-6 hours...

Now, truthfully, who has THAT kind of time?!?!??!??!?!??!

The man in the article said that after his dramatic weight loss, he will NEVER be able to eat the way he previously did and that he eats mainly salads every day.....

EVERY DAY - a SALAD?!??!???!?!  That's it?!?!

He concluded that he can never have a cooky, pie, donut, pastas, etc.

And, so once again, the whole eating thing is beyond frustrating to me.

I KNOW that I am

ADDICTED

to salt, fat, sugar; it's not a pretty thing to admit to, but my goodness...can we never enjoy those things again in our fight to lose weight??!?!?!??!?!?

My genetic make-up - on both maternal and fraternal sides - include very big people.

What chance have I?

And, I love the things that make one big; pastas, breads, potatoes, cupcakes, sandwiches...

For me, it's a constant, never-ending battle....

I get discouraged, disgusted, disengaged, and tired of the battle.

I want to be skinny, BUT I want to eat what I want.

Wait a minute, this is sounding like the battle of good vs. evil.

I want to live the way I want with no consequences.

Enough of the philosophizing; time for a green smoothie as I continue the fight.

Happy Birthday to the Man Who Taught Me Love

I often talk about my father;

he's practically perfect in every way.

I don't really have much more that I can say about my dad on this his birthday,
other than to say that I feel so incredibly blessed to have been a part of his family.

He was:

gentle,
caring,
good,
generous,
kind-hearted,
intelligent,
and so good to his wife and his four kids.

I miss him.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Merrill sang in a quartet for many many years.  I once met a lady who didn't know my father personally at all, but she wanted him to sing at her funeral.  I'd be wealthy if I had 100 dollars for every event he graciously sang at.  But, oh, he did love singing in the quartet.

When Candy Comes in the Mail....

Outside......

Inside!
But, it's good, no matter what!  Thanks, Jenni!

Taking My Turn at the Community Soup Kitchen

Helping out at the Episcopal Church daily soup kitchen...a great blessing to do so.
Antonio, Louise, Jerri, Gravy Lady, Tiffany

My job; make the gravy...I even had to have help with that simple task!

Of Disappointment and Other Things

She is a marvelous mother.

Just about perfect, in fact.

Then when her twins sons went on missions far, far away, she wanted to continue being a great mom, which included, even though very expensive, an occasional package to them once in awhile.

For their birthdays, she had planned and executed a most marvelous gift to them...it took time, money, thought, energy.  But, it was finally finished and she had it printed into a poster for her sons for their birthdays.

Oh, that good mother was excited.  Along with the poster she mailed little gifts of love and thoughtful care; like peanut butter, candies that each liked, other items, including shoe goo because their shoes are falling apart.  An older brother had spent many hours putting together LDS approved music and put it on a small MP-3 player for each missionary.  This was something they had requested...

On SATURDAY, she mailed it.  It was VERY expensive!  (Double the cost of everything when twins are involved!)

On MONDAY, she received an email from the mission president that NO packages were being allowed in the country and those already mailed would be confiscated and not distributed to anyone in the country.  This was the country's decision.  WHAT COUNTRY BANS PACKAGES?!?!?!??!?!??!

She is beyond bummed.

And it's not just about the money; it's about her son and his not getting ANYTHING for his birthday. It's about his disappointment.

After that, it is about the money.  A LOT of money to a family watching their monies.

What a BUMMER!

This is just the receipt for the mailing; this doesn't even include the cost of the items to be mailed!

D.I.S.A.P.P.O.I.N.T.M.E.N.T.

Indeed.

Why Eating Out is So FUN!

Many times the food doesn't taste as good as what I fix at home.

Most of the time it's very expensive; meal + tip.

Or, if fast food, it's very UNhealthy.

But, here's the thing:

THERE IS NO

And, that is why I truly do LOVE eating out!

Remembering a Saint....

...that would be my mother.

Oh, she was a good one, that dear mother of mine.

Kind,
Generous,
Thoughtful,
Giving,
Gentle,
Pleasant,
Talented,
Good,

And, I miss her.

Positive or Negative

Family Vacation Time;

and when it was over, there were two responses from two different family members;

1.  It was horrid....child

2.  It was a lot of fun....adult

Ha, ha; how we each perceive things is so very different.

I hope I'm found on the positive side of things.....