Ramblings

I had some weird dreams last night, one of which that has left me thinking all day. Kurtis and I were at a game show of sorts.. kind of like 'Let's Make a Deal' where prizes were given out. The audience was so large that we sat in the balcony section way in the back. The host was going around giving away prizes and money and he came back to our section asking for someone who wanted money. He picked me and asked if I was happy. Evidences of my happiness flashed through my mind-my family, a good job, health, friends, etc. and I felt confident in my answer. The host then asked, 'Well, why do you want money then? I thought you were happy.' And I was speechless..I was happy..wasn't I? I mean, we could use money to fix up the house, pay for school, get a better car, go on a vacation, or for other frivolous things but we didn't need it. Did we? Would we really be happier? He kept pestering me on my state of happiness, almost mocking me while other audience members jeered and tried to get picked themselves.

I guess I woke up questioning if I was truly happy. I feel so extremely blessed that if I didn't say I was happy I would be most ungrateful. But we have been talking a lot about money lately.. due to Kurtis starting school this fall for his MBA and the saga of 'will IBM pay for it?' looming over us. We also have some bathroom issues that need attendion. We have a car that is on it's last legs and a baby coming this December. I feel like I have the faith that everything will work out.. and it will.. but just not how I may want it to. Maybe I'm getting a frying pan to the head from the Lord with this because I heard the song 'I thank God for unanswered prayers' on the radio this morning. Then I recommended Psalms 3:5-6 to a friend who's taking on new challenges in her life. Maybe I needed it for myself as well. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path."

Another quote that struck me I just wanted to share.. maybe for personal journaling reasons..but I felt like it's a perfect fit to today's troubled world and others could benefit. From the prophet Ezra Taft Benson:
"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take the people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people and then they take themselves out of the slums. The would would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature."

Thanks for listening to my dream interpretations and ramblings! Love and miss you all!

Yellow ribbons

Yellow ribbons have a special meaning again as my brother Mark left for Afghanistan this week. He and my other brother have deployed previously. Mark will be gone for a year and we'll miss him. I also wanted to share my new precious niece, Sophia Grace! We love you guys and will see you in a year Mark. I'm proud to have you as my brother.

This is my life

Is this your life?

Where your floors are perpetually covered in various foods and other unknown sticky substances?

Where your child is covered head to toe with food and everything is stained? (But at least they enjoyed that mango seed)

Where they're always climbing around on the furniture and eventually getting themselves stuck and/or injured?

Where everything is a toy?

Where no cupboards are safe from exploring little minds?

Where every room the house looks like this? And gets quickly picked up (sometimes) before Daddy gets home so it looks like you have things under control?

Where your child refuses to climb down the stairs, even if she knows how and sits at the top sobbing because you left her up there all alone?

But also where they are so sweet in slumber and you find yourself looking in on them while they sleep just because?

And you love seeing them with their Daddy.. even when he takes them on walks and lets them eat rocks.

This is my life.. and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The prophet said to plant a garden

The prophet Spencer W. Kimball said, “We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees-plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard...Make your garden … neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976)

Check. Didn't happen last year because..we had Sarah..but I got it going this year. Complete with roma and cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, zuccinni, pumpkin, watermelon, cucumber, lettuce, green beans, some herbs and green peppers. The tomatoes are finally coming around and I'm so excited to make spaghetti sauce! My basil is going nuts and the squash, zuccinni, pumpkin and my 1 cucumber plant are taking over. I'm already planning on next year. I didn't like the lettuce variety.. maybe because I let it grow too much. We also have an abundance of earwigs this year and it's gross to pick up a lettuce and have 15 earwigs crawling around in it.

 

Sarah is not the best helper.. and gets very upset when I'm inside the garden behind the chicken wire.. she also doesn't like grass so much and will walk on anything else before she goes on the grass.

Our first green bean crop! So delicious. We've gotten lots of squash, zuccinni, some tomatoes so far, cucumbers, I gave lettuce away.. and green peppers so far. I'm not thinking the watermelon is going to produce and the pumpkins are starting to grow.

I'd love to have fruit trees.. but we did get some rasberry plants from a friend that will hopefully produce next year. My garden is definately not neat and attractive.. as my plants are sprawling all over the place but at least I did it. There's nothing better than eating something that you grew and tastes so fresh!

Utah adventures

FAMILY: If you have pictures from the reunion you'd like to share.. let me know and we can upload them to my Picassa album so everyone can share them!

At the end of July we all ventured to Utah for Kurtis' family reunion on his mother's side, the Hansens. All her siblings were there..with many, many cousins. We had a wonderful time with everyone and lots of laughs. Let me recap some of the highlights of our trip..

-On the way there.. long story short.. we missed our connection in Denver and spent 4 glorious hours corrolling Sarah around the airport until the next flight. We were just glad to finally arrive. The best part about being there, however, was playing on the walking escalators. Sarah loved to walk the wrong way, like a tredmill. Luckily it wasn't busy and people thought it was so cute and hiliarous. I was too afraid she'd get stuck that I never got a picture.
-We spent the first 2 nights at Julie's grandparent's. They were pretty relaxing days and it was wonderful to get to see them and have Sarah see them again. I got to get some sewing projects done because my grandmother has all the right gadgets to make things 'sew' pretty! Haha
-On Saturday, July 24th, we had the brilliant idea to go to the Pioneer Day Parade in downtown Salt Lake. We met Kurtis' family there. I'll be honest and say that I wasn't impressed..thinking it would be this huge ordeal.. and it was just a normal parade. No candy or anything! And it was HOT. It was fun to get into the Pioneer spirit and see the Elders walking at the end holding up their little cameras.. so silly. But we had fun and then headed back to Logan. Lucia (our niece), became Sarah's new best friend and copied everything Sarah did. So here she is, on Kurtis' lap because Sarah is. She liked to hold her hand too!

-We don't have a lot of pictures from the reunion itself.. others have them.. but it was a crazy bunch of days! There was an adventure scavenger hunt where the older kids went on go-carts, paddle-boats, rock-climbing and other fun things while the moms stayed behind with the little ones and played games. We went to Bear Lake another day and had a BLAST water-skiing and jet-skiing. Yes, I did both at 20 weeks pregnant. I was under the supervision of Kurtis' uncle who is a doctor and said it was perfectly fine for me to do so. Oh it was so much fun! Sarah ate sand most of the time.. but eventually learned that it's not too tasty.

-There were various sessions and things to do at the temple the final day. We also got a chance to go back later in the week. It was wonderful to get to go and spend time in such a peaceful place, and be there with family.

With most of the siblings

Grandpa Tucker made a GREAT horse!

Kurtis took Sarah on the boat like this and she totally fell asleep all cozy in her life jacket

-We played lots of ping-pong, Wii, all got colds, went crazy in a house full of people.. :) had a wonderful family council meeting, and most of all just hung out and laughed. Sarah did really well with all the new people and would go to others after a few days, much to her Grandma Tucker's joy!

-Sarah and Lucia followed each other around and copied each other like crazy. I can't wait for them to get older and have their little brothers be friends too. That will be so much fun!

Thanks to Chauncey and Paola for letting us invade their home (at the time) and putting up with our messes.