20 things to remember

I usually don't post things that are sent via email, but this one I really like.

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you prayed, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kinda like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day -- it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead. (I guess that applies to fabric, too!)

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it; otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. Its all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation:

Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Leave gentle fingerprints on the soul of another for the angels to read.

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it.

I want to have lived the width of it as well.

A New Trail...

Last Saturday, Rod and I took a hike into the White Tanks on a new Trail. The entire distance traveled was about 6.2 miles. Yes, I know. It's hot, but I must protect myself from the sun with sun screen, a hat, long pants (I haven't been able to fit into my microfiber hiking pants for a while!) and a long sleeved shirt. I actually stay cooler by covering up, as the sun does not directly heat up my skin.

After about a mile on a fairly easy, sandy, and wide trail we got to these warning signs. We also saw a snake right off the side of the trail here. We decided we would go on ahead as we wanted to find the abandoned dam we had read about located on this particular trail. It was a perfect day for hiking. The sky was somewhat overcast, which gave us relief from the direct sun.

The trail really was rough. Very rocky and steep in places. I was glad to have my trekking poles, especially on the way down. They really save my knees! With my short legs it is hard for me to step up some of these rocky and steep places. I scraped my elbow on one of the rocks. If you don't leave behind some blood, sweat, and tears it's not a REAL hike! On our way back, we actually ran into some 11 & 12 year old scouts going up the trail. One of the chubby little guys was running too fast and fell. He gashed open his hand, scraped his knee good, and was cut on the back of his leg (Achilles tendon). It looked like he was bleeding all over! He was bawling and his buddies were trying to help him out. We stopped and offered to help. "I'm okay, he sniffled," but I could tell that he was NOT okay. I cleaned his hand and put a band aid on it. I checked out his shoes and he was wearing his DC skater shoes, with the laces all loose. We told him he would do a little better if he would tighten up his shoes and slow down a little. Then the dad that was at the end of the line came up the trail. He also told Chubby to tie up his shoes and slow down. The boys ran off. We hope they made it without any further mishap. They only had one bottle of water each, which is not enough on a hot day like that! And the trail was really quite treacherous, with a very deep ravine on one side, lots of rock and prickly bushes everywhere. This was such a beautiful resting spot. We had shade, flowers, and the pungent scent of the creosote bushes. I just love the smell of the White Tanks! Especially after a rain... We found several small pools of water. They were ALIVE with tadpoles (the black spots), and other pond life. Here is the first glimpse of the little dam. It was much smaller than I had expected! As you can see from this closer shot, it was just constructed of stones and concrete. It is full of sand behind it, and it is just part of the trail around a bigger loop around the mountain. I found it quite interesting, however, and enjoyed examining the dam up close. This is a good illustration of why these particular mountains are called the White Tanks. When you hike back in far enough, there are huge mounds of white rock, like this, and there are small holding "tanks" full of water. It is really beautiful! I found this ocotillo in bloom particularly beautiful. It was one of the tallest I have encountered, so I zoomed in on the bloom with the beautiful cloudy sky in the background. Here I wanted to show how HUGE the thorns on the ocotillo are. Just look at those suckers! When you are on the desert, every thing either stings, sticks, or scratches you. That's for sure! This was a welcome sight in the trunk when we finished our hike! I drowned myself in Gatorade and enjoyed my sun dried tomato turkey wrap! I could not have asked for a more perfect day. Can't wait for the next hike. The desert has really grown on me and I have come to love the unusual beauty, the earthy smells and the unique landscape.

A Blog Meme

Rachell tagged me on the 17th and I filled out all this stuff, but did not have time to edit and post, so here it is a few days late!

First, the rules: Each blogger answers the questions about themselves (5 answers each question). Then tag five people. Make sure to let them know! :)

What I was doing 10 years ago - 1998:

1. Helping to run the NRCHA horse shows
2. Playing "Hotel" every morning to get Becca to eat her breakfast
3. Playing "Penny and Medusa" to get Becca to get her hair fixed every morning
4. Trying to figure out how to get Becca to sleep in her own room
5. Enjoying having Julie and her friends home for lunch every Friday

Five things on my "to do" list:

1. Work on Graduation stuff for Sunnyslope
2. Mail Cooper's birthday box so it gets there in time for his b-day next week
3. Take Nick to get his Driver's license
4. Help Becca with more 8th grade homework
5. Make 3 visits to sisters in my ward that have a special need

Snacks I enjoy:

1. Chips and salsa
2. Grape tomatoes (now that I am on Weight Watchers)
3. Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches
4. Baby carrots (I love crunch stuff)
5. Mint chocolate (especially Andes - these are NOT on Weight Watchers recommended list)

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Give a HUGE chunk to each of our siblings
2. Pay off our debt (house and car)
3. Give a HUGE chunk to each of our children to insure a secure future for them
4. Pay for Julie's college
5. Pay for Rachell's college

Five of my bad habits:

1. Eating too much
2. Procrastinating things I don't really WANT to do, but HAVE to do
3. Too quick to answer without know all the facts
4. Reading when I should be doing other things :o)
5. Sometimes I think I laugh too much (is that possible?)

Five places I have lived:

1. Rose Park, UT
2. Smithfield, UT
3. Fayetteville, ARK
4. Corcoran, CA
5. Johnson City, TN

Five jobs I've had:

1. Grocery checker at Winegar's
2. Motel Maid at Rawlins, WY Holiday Inn
3. Babysitter
4. Piano Teacher
5. And my favorite: being the MOM!

What I'd like to be doing in 25 years: (I will be 77) (Holy Cow!)

1. Playing with great grandkids
2. Walking without any kind of aid - like walkers and canes
3. going to the bathroom by myself
4. Hopefully NOT being a greeter at WalMart
5. Living closer to kids, grandkids, and great grandkids, so I can play with them

Now I must tag 5 people:

Kim, Sarah, Becca, Karli, and my friend Patty A (in CA!)

Celebrate! (And Then Watch Out)

Nick got his AZ Driver's License today! He is so excited. But consider yourselves warned, he is now out on the streets. (Actually he is a very good driver. You really don't need to worry!)

This is one very happy young man.

Congratulations, Nick. We are very proud of you! Enjoy your new found freedom, but not too much...

10 Things I Love About Losing 10 Lbs...

One month ago I decided I needed to get a grip and do something about my physical health. Katie and Julie motivated me to join Weight Watchers Online and I have loved it! I have always imagined the extra weight I carried around as 10 pound bags of sugar . . . 4 of them! I can now celebrate that I am no longer packing this one around! Here are 10 things I love about losing 10 pounds:

1. I can bend over to buckle the straps on my shoes and still breathe.
2. I can now wear my navy blue skirt again.
3. I no longer have to use lotion to take my rings off.
4. My "big pants" are now baggy!
5. My face and neck look thinner to me.
6. Most of it came off my "tummy."
7. My heart does not have to work as hard when I walk or hike.
8. My watch band is no longer so snug that it makes a mark around my arm.
9. I have to fasten my bra on the tightest hook so it won't slide up!
10. I do not dread weighing myself.

Analogies and Metaphors

Those who know me well, know how much I love words. My friend emailed this to me today and I thought it was just great! I picked out my favorites. Which is your favorite?

Every year, English teachers from across the USA can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays in order to have them published and sent out for the amusement of other teachers across the country. Recent winners:

Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

His thoughts tumbled around inside his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

He spoke with the kind of wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who goes blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like the sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling west at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. traveling east at a speed of 35 mph.

They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

Even thought my Ecuadoran son-in-law is fluent in English, he translates some figures of speech too literally. When I commented that he and my daughter are about the same age, but she looks much younger, he agreed. "Yes," he said. "Some people think I stole the crib."

Missin' the guys!

It has been a month since Katie and the kids were here, add another week and it's been 5 weeks since Julie and Ava were here. I miss them all so much! I can't wait for summer to come so I can see them all again.

I could just get lost in Ava's big brown eyes. And no one hugs like Julie does. I could sure use one of those hugs right now! Becca is gone to Utah, Rod is sick in bed, Nick doesn't feel good either. Guess I am just plain lonely tonight!

I just know this little guy has changed so much in the last month! Sure wish I could give him a hug and a kiss on those sweet cheeks!

What radiant smiles!

We had such a fun time at the spring training game.