Friday, September 22, 2006

I love fall!

Last night I decorated the house for fall as I was cleaning. It was so much fun! I found this really cool little pumpkin swag that I put on the shelf above the door leading into the family room. I have different silk leaves to add a splash of color, and of course there must be a scarecrow. I also have a scarecrow wreath on the front door to welcome our visitors. This is my favorite season of the year and I am loving the beautiful days and the nights are actually starting to cool down. We really enjoy walking the dog in this wonderful weather. I hope that your fall season will be wonderful, colorful and joyful. I know mine will be!

Yard sales work for me!

Last Saturday we were up early to go on a hike. As we went out to put the dog and all our stuff in the car so we could leave, we checked out our across-the-street neighbor's yard sale. She has them regularly. We have been looking for a headboard for our bed ever since we moved here. We wanted an oak finish, and one that had the cabinets on each end with a mirror in the middle. We have looked at yard sales, used furniture stores, and even at new furniture stores. I kept thinking to myself "Tracy will find a headboard some time." And she did! We got this set for a mere $100. It was just what we have been looking for. We got a really beautiful couch and chair last fall at a yard sale, also. These little finds are such a nice gift!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Funny Eyes

NICK
ROD
BECCA
JULIE
ALLEN
Do you notice any kind of strange genetic resemblance in these people??? They all seem to have these weird, all-seeing, all-knowing, droopy-looking eyes. Hmmmmm. We had so much fun taking these pictures. It was several months ago - I think it was in March of 2005. One of the kids got these funny glasses and we all tried them on. (I can't find the picture of ME in them. Oh well. . .) This was when Julie and Ava were staying with us three nights a week while Julie worked at Jamba Juice in Layton. We had so much fun with Julie and Ava and we miss them so much here in Phoenix! In parting, just let me say "keep your eyes peeled!" (That is a little thing my parents always used to say when we were looking for something or they wanted us to be alert and aware of things around us.)

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

My Sister, LaRue

LaRue, Brent, and their grandson, baby Trey. This weekend we got to see my older sister, LaRue. She and Brent were in AZ visiting her daughter, Holly. Morrie, Holly's husband, is a dentist and he was doing some major work on Brent's teeth. LaRue has had a major impact on my life. She is eight years older than I, and she has always been one of my idols. I can remember that as a very little girl, she would make me stand on the toilet while she played with my curly hair. She would make me little lunches for my toy lunch box. LaRue was always very kind and good to me. At one time she even took me and my girls in when I needed a place to live, and she has always been very loving and supportive of me. I used to love watching her get ready for her dates, truly fascinated with the make-up, the hair, and the perfume. LaRue is an amazing artist, she plays the viola, and taught violin for several years. She is a wonderful cook and a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother and home-maker. She is in the process of writing and illustrating a children's book for her grandchildren. I can't wait to see the published product. LaRue is spiritual and giving. I love her so much and am blessed to have her as my sister.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

My Own Klutz

Ouch! That makes my hand hurt just to think of doing something like that! Pretty impressive to see someone jump that high, in that good a form, and kick that close to another person's face and not hurt them. Hieeeeeeyah! A couple of weeks ago, Rod and I substituted in the 12 & 13 year-old Sunday School class. It was just before school started and we took the liberty of presenting our own lesson material. We talked about goals, about succeeding, about the fact that these kids can do anything they set their minds to, even if other people say they can't. I shared the store of Rudy Ruettiger, a young man back in the 70's that wanted to play football for Notre Dame. There is a movie out about him (of course, it is called "Rudy"). I told them the story and how he was labeled a "dreamer", someone that would never succeed, and someone that was not a doer. The turning point in his life is when he got tired of listening to people tell him he couldn't make his dreams come true. He worked hard, paid the price, sacrificed and made his dream come true. It is a really great story and I highly recommend the movie. The class was actually attentive and I think they liked the story and got the message. Rod then told the story of a young man that was labeled a "klutz" by his first grade teacher. The teacher told his father that the son was so klutzy that the boy would never even be able to throw a ball straight. The father, in his infinite wisdom and with great love for his son, never told the little boy what his teacher had said. The boy grew in to his teens and became very interested in the martial arts, particularly Tae Kwon Do. He progress rapidly through the different levels and soon became a black belt. He won several awards and trophys, and competed whenever he could. At the age of 16 he was teaching his own classes several nights a week and had a successful martial arts school which he financed completely on his own. The pictures above are photos of this young man. Rod showed the pictures to the class and they were duly impressed. Then with a moist eye and a shakey voice, he humbly told the class that he was the young man in the story. His dad told him about the teacher's derrogatory comment after he had filled his mission. Had he known about this teacher's prediction, he may never have gone on to succeed in this sport like he did. It is so easy to let "labels" determine what we do or what we become. Hopefully the only label we will really pay attention to is "Child of God." Each one of us has so much potential, and we can all be successful in one way or another. We just have to be willing to pay the price, to work, practice, sacrifice, and work some more for what we want to become. I just hope that in my own humble way I can live up to my divine potential. It gives me great courage and hope to know that there is a spark of divinity within me, and that I can become like my Father in Heaven. His love for me gives me strength each day. My greatest wish and desire is that my children, step-children, and grandchildren will also come to know the only label that matters is "Child of God," and that they will have the determination to live up to that and fulfill their divine destinies. Katie, Ryan, Julie, Becca, Rachel, Eric, Em, Allen, and Nick - each one is special beyond compare. Savannah, Cooper, and Ava, and all my unborn grandkids - you are my greatest joy and I know you can make your dreams come true! Rod - my own "klutz" - our relationship is the gift I never realized I could have. I am blessed to love each one of you. Thank you! Truly my cup runneth over.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Music

A year after getting Becca her guitar (I really can't believe it has been that long, but it has) I finally got her a guitar teacher for some lessons. He is very excited about teaching her and is impressed with how much she has taught herself already. She is progressing rapidly and is learning much already. Nick has been chosen for the drum line at Cortez High School, so he will be involved in band. Nick and Becca have decided they want instruments for Christmas: Becca wants an ELECTRIC guitar, and Nick wants drums. They have decided to form a band for their own enjoyment have are constantly talking about their plans. They listen to music constantly and spend their allowance on i-tune cards. They are at the computer listening, or have on their headphones listening. They listen in the car. They listen when they rollerblade. They listen when doing homework. They listen at the mall. They even try to get away with listening in one ear while conversing with others and during Family Home Evening. That is where I put my foot down. We have had to make a rule that there are no headphones at the table during dinner so we can try to converse a little. Don't get me wrong. Music is a good thing, and there are MUCH worse things these kids could be involved with. It's just that sometimes it is good to have a little peace and quiet in the brain. And I think it is rude to listen to ipods when people are trying to communicate. I also do not think that kids study better to music. Everything I have read or heard about this subject states that kids do better on their homework when it is quiet, well lighted, and there are no interruptions such as television, etc.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Labor Day 2006

View of downtown Phoenxi from the top of a peak at Thunderbird Park. Petrogliph rock on the waterfall trail. When Dad and Donna came to visit at Easter time, we took them to see the petrogliphs. There are quite a few rocks in this park that have these ancient leavings of the early natives to this area. Here is the ever-dry waterfall in the White Tanks. Maybe someday we will hit it just right after it has rained, and see actual water falling here. This is the tail end of the sunset we watched from the top of South Mountain on Friday night.

This weekend, we have been on three different hikes. I love hiking! Early this morning we went to Thunderbird Park and took Roxy on a new trail we have wanted to try. It was such a beautiful morning! You know how wonderful it smells when you go to the mountains and fragrance of the pines just permeates the air? Well, you have not experience “fragrant” until you have been on a desert mountain right after a big rainstorm. The air is so clean and the bushes and trees on the desert smell so good! It is even better than sagebrush in the rain. There are no words to describe this wonderful smell. It is down right “heady.” For our Friday night date, Rod drove me up to the top of South Mountain to watch the sun set. It gave me a totally different view of the Phoenix valley, as we have always gone to peaks in the north. Saturday morning we hiked at Thunderbird, and on Sunday evening, we went to the White Tanks on a gentle little trail that is only a mile in. We thought it would be a perfect Sunday activity – you know, commune with nature on the Sabbath. When you get to the end of the trail, there is a lovely waterfall. Every time we have gone to the “waterfall,” it has been dry. We just knew that after the HUGE monsoon storm Saturday night, there would be water. We were disappointed, again. Not a drop! Oh well, I guess it did not storm in the White Tanks. However, we did see a beautiful deer down in the river bed and watched it spring off as a jogger rounded the corner and scared it away. We also heard several birds calling and heard an owl hooting. Evening is the time when we have seen the wildlife quietly creep out of hiding. We also enjoyed yet another breath-taking monsoon sunset and I always enjoy seeing the petrogliphs on that trail. Happy Labor Day!

Friday, September 01, 2006

Summer is Over

Here is the Cortez High School Pep Band. On game days, the go out in the common area before school and play the fight song. Go Cortez! This is from a hike we took up Logan Canyon a couple of years ago. The leaves were beautiful!!! For some reason I am obsessed with the fact that it is September 1 today. For me that means that summer is OVER for the year. I even brought my camera to school today and have been taking photos of happenings on campus. I am looking forward to temepratures going down. The kids are back in school, I am back at work and have been for 5 weeks, and the monsoon season is retreating. I guess the main thing is that I am so looking forward to the FALL. It is my favorite season! I love the cloudy skies, magnificent sunsets, the smell of the fall leaves (we really don't get many of those in the Phoenix area so we will have to go for some drives), I LOVE HALLOWEEN, and I really love the crisp air - especially in the mornings. I am looking forward to our fall break and the trip to Disneyland we have planned. I am already looking forward to Thanksgiving and having family come and visit. I love making soups and chili and bread in the fall. And baking cookies. The fall colors have this certain effect on me - it is almost spiritual and I feel the divine powers around us. Truly it is a miracle the way the seasons come and go - it is just one more manifestation of the power of God in this world and in our lives.