Notes

Letter writing is a lost art, I think.  Remember in elementary school, when you had pen-pals from another school somewhere across the country or in an entirely different country?  You would write a letter a week, anxiously await for a reply back in the mail.  Good times.  Whenever I had friends on out in the mission field, I was pretty faithful about writing them (and most were really good about writing back).  But now there is email, texting, IM'ing, and phones are much more convenient to make long-distance calls on.  But still, letter-writing is deteriorating; grammar, structure, how to give news and make it sound interesting--that is all going by the wayside.  

I have a great deal of pretty note-cards that I keep stored in a box.  Just sitting there waiting for a special occasion to use them.  But here is my "sudden" realization.  There really is never going to be that special occasion to use them.  I have to make it.  We all like to get something in the mail.  Gifts are the best, but a nice note is almost as good.  : )  So I am going to do my best to start a letter writing campaign.  I'll send notes to my friends and family members.  If someone responds, yea!  If not, then I'll keep writing.  But I want to keep the art of letter writing alive, somewhat.  Because really, don't we all deserve something in the mail besides bills.

Talents

Today's lesson in Relief Society was all about talents.  The usual suspects came out; music, art, sewing, etc.  These are the talents that usually get thrown into the mix.  I generally acknowledge myself to have no discernable talent.  I'm not musical, I'm not artistic, and I really don't sew (I dabble, is more like it).  So, when they were discussing talents, and the various attributes that people in the ward have, I had to think long and hard about what my talents were.  They are not necessarily apparent to the naked eye.  Here is the conclusion I came to; my talent is friendship.  Just to take a moment and blow my own horn, I am a pretty good friend (I think).  Whenever someone in my circle needs something, I tend to be there.  I am fairly social and like to get people together and perpetuate some bonding.  So, it might not be big or grand or noticeable, but there it is.  My talent is friendship and socializing.  It is somewhat useful, since I moved around a lot, and now I'm using it to establish myself in my new-ish ward.  I have a talent.  Yea!

I think most everyone has this conundrum.  They don't know what their talents might be, or think they don't have any.  But we all have something, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant.  What do you think your talents are?  

Birthday of Flowers

My birthday was lovely and fabulous.  I had a great deal of love sent my way.  Interestingly enough, a lot of it came in the form of flowers.  Kevin brought flowers to me at work, and when I came home, more flowers were scattered throughout the house.  During my birthday party, my cousin and her fiance brought me a bouquet and a couple friends also brought me a bouquet.  It was lovely.  I love how fresh flowers look and smell in the house.  They brighten it up and add a lovely perfume throughout the house.  I love birthdays (and not just my own).  Everyone deserves a day where those around them can be joyous and appreciate the fact that they are in the world.  I'm happy to be here, and appreciate the fact that those I love are here, too.

Scents and Smells

I love things that smell good.  I love to smell good.  Perfume, lotions, flowers, candles.  You name it, I probably have it.  And use it fairly often.  When I shop for deodorant, I stand in front of the displays and just sniff at them.  If I'm using it daily (and I am!), then it needs to be a scent I can enjoy day after day.  So  I have a variety and change them out when I'm in the mood.  And then I can enjoy the scent throughout the day (and know that it is working).

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

There are so many things I would put here to brag about my Mom, but even if the blog had space, everyone would get pretty annoyed by the length of the post.  As the only daughter (I have three! brothers), my Mom and I share a special bond.  In addition, I was born the day before Mother's Day, and like to consider myself the best present she ever received.

My Mom is seriously the best human being I know.  She is kind and considerate, honest, and has a total love and empathy of her fellow man.  Family is her priority, and we are all--immediate and extended families--close because of her.  I have always thought that if I could be half the woman my Mom is, then I am a lucky girl.  I have been thinking about the incredible person she is, what she overcame in childhood and how she, along with Dad, made the decision to change the structure of our family and make it a place where love is felt and everyone hugs everybody else; and we tell each other "I love you" all the time.  

Usually I think of the ways I need to grow in order to be like Mom, that I don't stop and think of the ways that I am like her.  Mom is a big adventurer; she loves to see new things and places.  As a kid, and a young married, she traveled across the USA and up to Canada and down to Mexico.  She just wants to experience everything she can.  Mom was all about the random hikes and day trips; we would just hop in the car and go.  This happened before I was born and all throughout my childhood.  Disneyland, Patrick's Point State Park, Santa Barbara, day trips to Oregon; these were all pretty common occurrences.  

Education has always been a top priority for Mom.  She took eighteen years to get her BA, going to two night classes a semester when us kids were little.  She only ever missed one class and that was to give birth to the youngest, Ben.  I think she gets a pass for that.  She has two Master's and is working on her MFT license.  I have always know the importance of education, both academic and general life, and am proud to consider myself a life-long student of whatever I can learn.

I could go on, but I don't want to make this too long-winded.  Needless to say, I have so many traits that  I inherited from my mother, and am proud to be her daughter.  I am nothing without her, and she is truly my best friend.  Happy Mother's Day, Mom.  I love you lots, and am so glad I get to share my birthday around this holiday; it always makes me think of you.

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma!

Mother's Day is approaching, and that makes me think about the important women in my life; my Mom and my Grandma.  

I've only ever known my Grandma.  My other grandparents passed away long before I was born.  The boys and I used to spend Friday or Saturday nights with Grandma.  We would have slumber parties at her house while Mom and Dad went on a date.  Grandma always had the best treats to give us; banana chips, popsicles, and every once in a while, some ice cream.  I would spend time at her house in the summer, visit for weekends when I lived in Sacramento, and she was always at our house for Christmas.  For a little while this past Christmas, we thought we would lose Grandma pretty quickly.  Everything turned out to be okay, and Grandma is sticking around for a good long time.

My grandfather died of a heart attack when my Dad was only seven and my aunt was three.  She was a single mother all of a sudden, with two kids to raise on her own.  She figured it out and my Dad is a pretty amazing guy because of it.  

But there are some ways in which I like to think I take after my Grandma.  She is pretty girly; I have a love of make-up, nail polish, clothes and shoes.  So does my Grandma.  She traveled all across United States, and has had some pretty big adventures.  I bet I am the only one who can say that my Grandma was a race car driver.  : )

So, Happy Mother's Day, Grandma.  I am so grateful that you are in my life and I love you lots.  Thanks for being my Grandma.

Name Calling

A customer at work called me stupid today.  It wasn't a commentary on the company, the services provided, or anything like that; she called me, personally, stupid.  I told her that wasn't acceptable, wished her a nice day, and then hung up on her.  I hate anyone calling anybody stupid.  It is incredibly derogatory and is designed to cut people at the heart of themselves.  I know I am not stupid; that is not what this is about.  I hate when people try to find a way to cut someone down and feel that it is no big deal or completely acceptable because they are upset about something.  Name calling is never acceptable; personally attacking someone is never ok.  Calling someone stupid is a particular pet peeve of mine.  Out of all the attacks, that is one I find particularly appalling.  So maybe we can dial back on our name calling and make the world a little friendlier.  Or at least not try to tear down those around us.  Self-esteem is a terrible thing to bring down.

Dinner Party!

My cousin, Meghan, and her fiance came over for dinner Saturday night.  The weather has been so beautiful, we decided to BBQ and eat outside, using our new gazebo-thing (for the tale of its construction, see post below).  We moved the dining room table and the chairs outside, set it up, and had a very enjoyable evening.  Sometimes it's fun to be silly; and I had way to much fun setting the table.  But it was good food, good times, and good friends (family).

 Maggie supervises the grilling; and hoping for a handout.

 The finished gazebo-thing project.

 A close-up of the table, just because I had way too much fun with it.

Easter Weekend

My parents came down for Easter weekend.  We hung out, had some fun, hosted an egg dyeing party, and Kevin and I got talked into a gazebo-type thing by my Dad, the Pied Piper of Projects.  With some "you could do this, build it like that, put it over here.  It'll be easy; we'll have it done by noon."

And the next thing you know, Dad and Kevin are researching it out and going shopping together.  We came away with something nifty, and I really like it.  They wound up not building something so much as put it together, but all in all, it was a project that was some fun and has a great result.  Maggie was the job dog, and supervised the event.  She did a good job keeping Dad and Kevin on task.

Want to see the finished product?  You should see the next post!