...dancing in April's rain...

Where to begin?

My head is full of so many thoughts and my heart is full of so many feelings, it's hard to know exactly where to start. Maybe at the beginning...

Life isn't always fair, nor is it perfect, but I can't say anything would be worthwhile if it was easy. Sometimes the things we cherish the most take the most work...the hardest effort...the longest diligence and sometimes a little help from above...

Before we moved to our current neighborhood, I met a truly amazing woman. No matter the day, no matter the situation, no matter her mood or how she felt physicially (and I know she often felt crummy) she had something to smile about. The weather and how warm it was, or how the snow had finally arrived...how happy she was to be able to see her girls come home from school, or see them off for the day to learn...what a great day she had because she had accomplished so much, or she got nothing done at all, but had such a wonderful rest! NO MATTER THE SITUATION, it was all good to her.

Some tough things have happened to this friend of mine, but she never, not once, not ever, has lost her smile. I don't think I have ever, in all the years I've known her, seen her frown or heard a discouraging word come out of her mouth.

When her son Caleb was born with so many health problems, she simply smiled and told us all she would love him for as long as she had him--and she did. She knew he wouldn't be around long, yet she cherished each day and hoped for just one more hour, never complaining it would be cut so short, so fast.

Unfortunately, my friend now suffers with serious health issues of her own, and I was reading through her blog today. Her sweet little girls, or "little ladies" as she likes to call them, struggle with the fact that their mama is so sick. Through all the things April's family has been through, she's always told her girls to look for the miracles around them. Her poor sweethearts just want one miracle--for mama to get better, but that miracle seems so very far away.

Wouldn't you know it, April has found miracles around her and posted about them to her girls. Little Caleb was and still is a miracle...her sweet girls themselves--their giggles, their smiles--what precious miracles they are...their amazing dad!...CHOCOLATE--ohhhh yes!!...family, friends, but APRIL, you forgot one very important miracle, and that is YOU.

I know you struggle, each and every day, yet YOU are an inspiration to me. An inspiration that we don't need to learn to weather the storm, or wait for it to pass...but dance in the rain! No, life isn't easy, it isn't perfect, it isn't even fun all the time, but...miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men....(Moroni 7:37)

So I will dance my friend...in the sunshine or the rain...and watch for the miracles around me!

And because I know you, I have been changed for good!! I love you dearly, my miraculous friend!

What would Dr. Spock Say?

I have a charming and delighful 14 year old and I'm just about to wring his little neck! He's nearing 15 now, and I'm honestly wondering how in the HELL we're gonna survive the next few years!? Somebody out there PLEASE tell me this gets better...

Tim is truly a sweet kid, and his heart is in the right place, but the kid needs a serious and bracing reality check! I swear he thinks the world is his to do with as he pleases, and there is no reason for seriousness whatsoever. Everything to him is a joke, and I mean EVERYTHING. I know that doesn't sound like such a bad thing, and perhaps it isn't, but if he doesn't take anything seriously, he doesn't worry about much, correct? That includes consequences...

Rarely, if ever, do we see him doing homework, but we KNOW he has it! It's his responsiblity if he brings home his homework and does it, isn't it? I'm not supposed to know what all his missing assignments are and force him to do them, am I? He's a year away from driving for crying out loud! Am I still supposed to be holding his hand and changing his diaper, or letting him make his mistakes? Some parents make me feel guilty for not knowing what's going on and making him work harder, but how am I supposed to do that? His grades are horrible, and as a consequence, he can't go out with friends. If he doesn't have time to do his homework = no time for friends, make sense?

His High School registration info was due several weeks ago and I have asked him repeatedly if he has turned it in. I finally called the principal today and she said the info was turned into the H.S. weeks ago, so NOW we're supposed to call the H.S. and figure out what we do now. I'm making HIM call the H.S. and yet he's mad at ME because I forgot to turn in his baby picture for the yearbook. He told me that he was waiting for someone to tell him to turn in his H.S. registration info and that's why it didn't get turned in. I told him I was waiting for someone to tell me to turn in the baby picture and that's why it didn't get turned in. That didn't go over so well.

I'm frustrated with the irresponsibility of my kid! My 11 year old twins are more responsible than he is, and they are WILLING to be responsible! He fights with me about church; that he doesn't want to go, that YM Activities are dumb, yet he likes going to the Region Dances. I told him we can't pick and choose what church things we do, it's all or nothing and as long as he lives in MY house, he will go to church and fulfill his church obligations--ALL of them. As far as he's concerned I'm overly protective, overly concerned, overly responsible, and no fun.

How do you teach responsibility to a teenager? He was such a cute little kid. He comes home from school, shuts himself in his room, listens to his amazingly LOUD music and we don't see him until dinner. What are we doing wrong? What am I as his mother doing wrong?

I'm at the end of my rope! Somebody throw me a line cuz I'm outta ideas...

Sadie Hawkins, 2009

I apologize for not posting in a while. I caught this horrible cold that has been hanging on...and on...and on...and I FINALLY feel halfway human today to post something.

LAST Friday...a whole week ago today, was our Stake's Sadie Hawkin's Dance and I asked the hottest guy in our whole Stake to go with me, and he actually said YES!! Okay, okay...of course it was a couple's thing, but I was looking at the cute pictures we took and DANG! No, wait...DOUBLE DANG! He is getting hotter and hotter with age! What is up with THAT?

Hee hee, anyway, we had a really good time. Well, I did at least. I know he hates those things with a passion, but he went anyway and it was really fun! My friends Audra and Heather and I got the idea from ANOTHER friend Lindsay to make shirts that said "I'm with..." and then the matching co-hort, like the "I'm with stupid" type. SO...after MUCH frustration with iron-on transfers (Audra and I do NO recommend the sparkly kind!!) I made us shirts that said "I Love My Phat Girl" for Granty of course and mind said "Phat Girl". Granty took me to a movie afterwards as a surprise and we had a really great night together, and with our fun friends.

I hope they do it again next year so we can make it a new tradition! I was a great way to spend the night with the man I love having a lot of FUN!

"The heat is on in Saigon!!"

I have been a huge, HUGE fan of the theatre for a very long time! Probably since I was a little girl. My mom always liked watching old classic musicals like "The Music Man", "Carousel", "7 Brides for 7 Brothers", "Oklahoma"...the list goes on and on. She instilled in me a deep love for music, and because of that, I developed a great love for singing and acting.

I have been in many theatrical productions, mostly when I was in high school and college, and I miss being in the spotlight all the time. However, the reality of my life is I'm a mom and a wife, so there just isn't time for that kind of stuff anymore. But I love watching stage productions just as much as I like being in them.

When I graduated from high school, my parents bought me a 2 week trip to New York. While on that trip to NY, I saw 6 broadway productions. I saw "Phantom", "Les Miz", "CATS", and 3 others. I was thrilled, but the one other production I always wished I could have seen was "Miss Saigon". It's musical score is breathtaking and the story tragic. It's much like the Opera "Madame Butterfly".

For my birthday, my mom thought she'd be clever and had me play "Let's Make a Deal". Each package I opened held a picture of some grandios gift like a cruise, a cricut cutter (scrapbooking lovers COVET those!), and my long lusted after Mische Bag. Of course, in all reality those items were not available to me...what a horrible prank!! Granty and I really thought I was getting a cruise!!!! Ha! Box #4 however, held what I have wanted for over 20 years now...tickets to see "Miss Saigon" in May.

Words cannot express how excited I am to see this remarkable show! Thanks mom, dad & Aunt Shelly for such a great birthday gift! Turning 38 wasn't half bad! Now maybe if they could make good on the "cruise" for my 40th birthday. THAT wouldn't be half bad either!!

I Love You!

This actually happened on Saturday, January 31st, but it took me until today to blog about it.

Last week was a bad, bad, extrememly busy week, and Granty knew it. Saturday I was gone grocery shopping FINALLY and I wasn't too happy about it. I had tons of cleaning to do, and I just didn't have time to go and get stupid food! Anyway, I got home and found these beautiful, cheerful flowers. Granty said he knew last week had been a bad one and he hoped the flowers would cheer me up. He's such a great husband. I love him so!

SurPriSe TO mE!!

I have these 3 kooky friends. Yes, I just said kooky. Anyway, the three of us, plus a couple of other fun gals, have declared ourselves the "Domestic Goddesses". We've started hanging out watching dumb movies like Xanadu and Copacabana, just cuz it's fun to giggle and spend time with your best girl friends!

This morning I woke up with the WORST headache! I had taken Excederin all through the night trying to get rid of it, but it just wasn't working. I was supposed to watch one of my fellow goddesses little girl while she went to the Dr, but I told her I just couldn't. My head was pounding! Anyway, I lay down to take a nap and a while later, there is this banging on the door and my door bell keeps ringing. I threw off the covers and I was PISSED! I mean, who in the crap doesn't give up knocking after one knock and there's no answer!! RUDE!

I pulled the door open, ready to tell the person on the other side exactly where they could put their knocking, and there stood my 3 three friends (obvoiusly there was NO Dr appt for Heather)! They started singing, "Happy Birthday", they had PRINCESS balloons, presents and lunch PLUS bday cake from Dippidee!! I was in total shock and had to go in the other room for a second to recover! My actual birthday isn't until Saturday, but what an awesome way to start the celebrations!! We spent the next few hours laughing, planning future get-togethers and snapping some fun pictures. I have NEVER been so excited to go to bed in my life as I am tonight! I am now the proud owner of a pillow case complete with a picture of BARRY MANILOW AND his awesome movie "Copacabana". All I need now is a yellow feather in my hair to match my new leg warmers!!

I LOVE my girls! They are probably 3 of the best friends I have ever had. We laugh, we gossip, we cry, she share...we have such a great time together! I don't think I've ever had a group of friends like this in my life, and I'm so grateful for them. They are truly the "cream of the crop". WHY they would wanna hang out with me, I don't know, but I'm glad they want to!

TO AUDRA, DAWN & HEATHER...you guys rock my world! Thanks for not only being such awesome, awesome friends, but for being the kind of women I can look up to! I LOVE YA!

My NEW sassy Xanadu-esque leg warmers!!

Izzy trying to find her way out of the balloons!

Chloe & Dawn practicing their "kissy face" for Barry!!

Dawn, me and Heather doing what we do best...be retarded!