MY BUCKET LIST

Tonight while I was sewing (I know! I know! Melba used to tease me that I was going to have to take out every stitch I put in on Sunday with my nose.), I watched The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It was overly sentimental (I admit it, I shed a couple of tears), but it was fun and reflective.

On Saturday we're leaving on a trip which has been on our bucket list for a long time. When we were first married, we talked about going across country in our own truck with a sleeper. Now I never thought that would be fun since Garth felt we could both do some of the driving. Then I saw a couple of stories about quilters whose husbands are also long haul truckers and they quilt as they go. We also thought it would be fun to go across country on Harleys (Let me amend that. I never thought it would be fun, but I'd follow my husband anywhere.) We also had a plan at one time to visit every temple not realizing that there would be so many you couldn't visit them all.

So we're leaving in our air conditioned car during a time of exorbitantly high gas prices to visit historical sites important to our past as well as our religion. We're worrying about the kind of shoes to wear so our feet won't hurt. We're worrying about leaving our family and our cat. We're making sure we have all our medications as well as Tylenol and Aleve. We're worrying if our motel rooms will be air conditioned.

More importantly, during our sojourn, we'll be thinking about Lewis and Clark and their torturous journey west. We'll be thinking about our heritage. Our pioneer ancestors who traveled to Utah and Oregon and California and Texas. We'll remember their dedication and their reasons for leaving behind their homes and families to build our nation. We'll vist places where lives were lost and testimonies gained. And we'll be thinking about you as well and what each of you mean to us.

Somehow in all my sentimentality, I never thought of my ancestors crowded on ships like this! Did you? I think being a pioneer was a pretty rough deal!

GADZOOKS!!

I just couldn't come up with a good picture for this blog. As some of you know, the bathrooms in our house are a place for a darn good "read" sometimes. My sister Julia calls these her "bathroom books"--something you can read for those few minutes. She's read some pretty hefty bathroom books. We have magazines--the Ensign, American Rifleman, AARP. We used to have the Reader's Digest because Garth's folks always bought us a subscription, but we can't remember to get one now.

Anyway, my magazine of choice the other day was AARP with the "fantastic" picture of the passionate Martin Sheen. The article is entitled Getting Real by Amy Bloom. In it she talks about three of life's lessons she's learned: 1. Forgiveness works both ways: 2. dangerous politeness (which I'll explain) and 3. undeserved good luck.

I liked the second one best. Here's what she says:

What is avoidable, as it turns out, is bull****—in myself and others. . .I just don’t want to hear bull****, and I don’t want to offer it—at least not with people I care about. I don’t want to have to pretend that bad things are not happening when they are. I don’t want to have to laugh off a loved one’s drinking or gambling or cocaine addiction, as if it were occasional, amusing, or harmless. . .

Numbers 1 and 3 are also good and she has a great bully story.

Now I like the idea of not repeating bull**** or accepting it if necessary. Therefore, I've decided not to react to the following which I just read on MSN: Obama ask donors to help Clinton with debt. Can you believe that?

Anyway, it's a great article. If you don't get the magazine, you can go online and read it from their website. Or, better yet, you can visit my bathroom and read it there.

EAT CROW OR CUT BAIT

I was torn between two options for this blog. I've thought for a long time that I should write a blog about eating crow about a past statement in a blog. On the other hand, I also wanted to write about the positive power of getting rid of grudges and regrets. So I'm going to do a little bit of both.

Several blogs back I mentioned that a lady had written a book about not reading your e-mail until noon (or something like that!). I disagreed because I love reading my e-mail and assorted other computer stuff first thing when I get up. Now you have to realize that my husband sleeps until exactly six every morning. Before that I can't do any housework because it would wake him up and by some silent agreement reached years ago, I don't ever shower before he does. I also get up hours before he does so working on the computer upstairs is a natural. Now, though, with the addition of blogs to my morning computer routine, I am freely admitting that I need to get into the "busyness" of my day before I get on the computer. So consider the crow eaten.

For several weeks, I've been reading an interesting book called The Holy Secret. It's not unusual for me to read, but this is online at Deseret Book and is parceled in weekly Wednesday chapters. I could go buy the book, but the old magic of waiting for the new chapter each week is fun. This is a "Mormon" writer, but I think there is a message for everyone. The main character is a good member who is feeling that he's just not "good" enough. He hears a talk by an elderly man who seems to have the answer for how to have a happy life. In this week's chapter, he is burdened by his feelings about his father who is dying and wants to make peace with his son. But the character,Michael, is so embittered about the whole thing that he can't bring himself to forgive the father. I was profoundly moved by the portrayal of the story of the prodigal son given by Al, the elderly man.

I guess my point is that all of us harbor contention in our lives. That contention is like an upset stomach which always nags at us even though we might think it's not. Eventually, that upset stomach becomes an ulcer and can lead to our demise. Grudges and hatreds are festering wounds which keep us from lives of goodness. It rules our thoughts and actions. If you've a mind to, reread the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke15: 11-32). Concentrate on not only the actions of the prodigal, but of the older son as well. Then like Al ask yourself, "Which son are you?" ( If you're interested in reading this book, it's online at: http://deseretbook.com/secret/) It certainly made me stop and think about a few contentions in my life.

Sorry about the soapbox. Stop today and smell the roses. This is a picture of just a few of the roses at our house this summer. They were late in blooming, but they're prolific!

THE STUFF OF LIFE

Yesterday we went to Seattle to take Dylan to the airport so he could visit his dad for the summer. This is a journey we made with trepidation knowing that Dylan needs to see his dad, but we don't like him to go. Dylan kept asking us where they had their accident last year. He, his mom, Ty, and Julirae were in a fender bender on this same journey last summer. (By the way, Happy Anniversary Jennie and Ty.) Sorry about the shadows in the picture. He was wistfully watching the plane being loaded thinking ten-year-old boy thoughts. Dylan is a special delight. We worry about him while he's in Minnesota. Last year, you might remember, he got kicked by a horse while with his dad. We spent the time before we had to go to the airport at Jeff''s looking at the new kitchen and chatting about their yard. Dylan and Steve had a ball sparring with each other. We went to a wonderful, heavenly place called Molback's. It's a huge nursery. Dylan, who considers himself the expert on everything, kept up a running commentary on every plant. He was very interested in the Venus Fly Traps. Then he brought tears to my eyes when he said, "Grandma, this place smells so good! It smells like Ensign in the mornings." Ah sweet memories. I went to a fabric store and the boys went to a discount place called Stupid Prices. You'll see my purchases below. Dylan tried out the vibrating recliners and Garth bought licorice.

FUN DAYS

We've had a busy and fun couple of weeks with baptism (Andrew's), graduations (Lisarae, Keturah, (both high school) Shenara (Central Washington) and Marissa (kindergarten); school plays (Andrew and Samantha); a project Mars presentation (Angie), birthdays (Dylan, Izzy, and TJ which we celebrate tomorrow) and a little trip.

We somehow neglected--all of us--to take pictures of Andrew's baptism, but it was a beautiful event. A boy from the Spanish branch also was baptised that night so everything was said in Spanish as well. President Cortez gave a beautiful talk in Spanish addressing both boys and telling them how much he loved them and how proud he was of them and to listen to their parents and choose the right. The other events I'll blog about when Jaime and Julirae have a chance to send me pictures.

Our trip was an overnight visit to White Salmon. It is such a pretty place. Tom & Julia's remodeling is wonderful and their yard is especially beautiful. All of the rain has brought out the rhododendrons which were blooming profusely. We went on a little trip to the small community of O'Dell on the old-fashioned Mt. Hood Railroad. Unfortunately, the day was overcast so we never did see the mountain. The last picture is of the switchback where the train made its final climb up the mountain. When I saw the switchman standing outside of the train, I realized what my dad had done in his job for so many years.