Life's Negotiations

Regret

2010-12-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

I regret to inform you that my motivation didn't last long. Guess you must have figured that out. Since it has been quite a while, I would like to share a few things. . . First, there are no words to describe the beauty of the sunrises and sunsets near my home. Second, there is a roadrunner living in the windowsill of my garage. We call him Reggie. My husband thinks it may be Regina.

Motivation

2010-10-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

I finally put my finger on it. I'm not motivated. Good thing Dr. Oz set me straight. While recently watching his show he spoke right to me when he explained you have to act first, then motivation will follow. I mistakenly thought it was the other way around. I gave it a try, with things like exercise, eating right, and even posting on my blog. Turns out, he was right. As I make an effort,

Be Strong

2010-09-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

"Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9. This is the Young Men and Young Women theme for the 2010 year. I think of this scripture often and it reminds me that I'm not alone. It reminds me that my children are not alone when they are away from me. It reminds me to be brave and stand up

Aha!

2010-09-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

I figured it out. It hit me yesterday. When my father died, I quit journaling. I didn't want to write it down, or express my thoughts about it. Too difficult. Time slipped away and it was years before I started jounaling, now known as blogging, again. So every day for the last week I've logged into my blog, but refused to write. Then the Aha! moment hit me. My first born has left home

Obstacles

2010-08-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

I'm out of rhythm. Can't seem to find a routine. Every day is a different wake up time. Don't know when to schedule in exercise, scripture study, or blogging. I'm still reacting to everything as it hits me, instead of preparing for it's impact or perhaps even preventing an obstacle from slapping me in the face. I'm hoping time will help me sort out our new routines. In the meantime, I

Two Items of Business

2010-08-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Item One: I was a substitute teacher for first grade today. At the end of the day a child said to me: "Mrs. Clark, you are so weird. Promise me you'll never come back." Nothing like a slice of humble pie. Item Two: My son leaves for college in the morning. Nothing like two slices of humble pie in one day.

Press Forward

2010-08-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Phineas and Ferb are always telling me "there's 104 days of summer vacation. . ." but we only got 80. My kids have already put a big, red X over 8 school days and only have 172 to go. Schedules are crazy again. Nights are short. Days are long. But there's one thing I have decided I must do, and that is press forward. As Timon once said, "You got to put your past behind you." You must

I Swear It's True

2010-08-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

The Washington All-Star boys of summer made their way to San Bernardino today to compete in the Western Regional Baseball Tournament. One of those boys happens to carry my DNA. He called tonight to say they'd arrived safely. Then he asked, "Mom, is this heaven?" And I replied, "No, it's Iowa." Kidding. He actually said, "Mom, this field we're gonna play on is the most beautiful thing I've

Reflection

2010-07-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since I had to brace my emotions and brace my son physically. It's hard to believe we can put a big red X over the past year. Only five more to go. I have to say it's certainly gone smoother than expected, and that is due mostly to my son's positive attitude. I'm so thankful for his discipline and courage. Reflection of the past year reminded me of the time I ran into my

It's Done

2010-07-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

I did it. It's done. Finally. Remember this post from January? Well I just now got around to opening the box and getting out those plastic gloves. Only I didn't use them. I wrapped a towel around my shoulders, gave the plastic gloves to my 10-year old daughter and told her to "go nuts." Know what? She did a great job! My husband came home from work and didn't even notice I had washed

Soda and Chocolate

2010-07-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I have a hankerin for the sweeter things in life. As proof, I must tell you that once a Relief Society sister called to ask me if I would lead a group of women in early morning exercise. I respectfully declined the invitation but offered to lead a group of women in the early evening who wanted to eat treats. My treat of choice for the past 25 years has been soda,

Venus

2010-07-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

Our move brought us to a home that is nestled against a hill. The bonus of this is that there are no homes behind us - only hill and sky. The sky makes for enlightening entertainment on summer nights, especially since my son recently acquired the Star Gazer App on his phone, making it possible for us to identify stars and constellations. The star that is most easily identified each night is

Finally

2010-07-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

Summer FINALLY arrived at my house last Wednesday. It came with a 7 AM morning temperature of 74 degrees - but because summer had arrived I didn't meet it until I woke up at 9 AM at which time the temperature had risen to 79. Summer's arrival was official because the day was wide open. No plans, appointments or ballgames. A leisurely morning turned into an hour of toastiness pool side.

Free Candy

2010-07-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

So there we were, the Detroit airport, making our way from one gate to the next for our connecting flight home. I was in "hurry up" mode and had gotten quite a ways ahead of my husband and son. Because of the distance I'd gained I could not hear my husband calling my name. After several attempts of trying to alert me that I was losing them, he hollered "FREE CANDY" and stopped me dead in my

Sidetracked

2010-06-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

My family had a laugh last night at my expense. It seems I had gone to get a band-aid for my husband's blistered feet (football camp) and never came back. On my way to the cupboard for band-aids, I stopped to put in a load of laundry, then wipe down the kitchen counters and soon his poor feet were the last thing on my mind. He accused me of having a Homer Simpson moment - like the time Homer

Basal Cell Carcinoma

2010-06-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Wear your sunscreen. They've been warning us for years. I never listened. I'm a quick tanner, inherited it from my dad. He used to get so dark in the summer that he told me he was an Indian. I believed him until I was old enough to figure it out (last year). So imagine how silly I felt holding my husband's hand in the dermatologist's office while they cut off a piece of his face containing

Absence of Schedules

2010-06-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

So lately just living my life requires negotiation. I haven't spent a solid day in my house since we moved in June 1st and summer began. We've been living our life out of suitcases, mostly due to baseball related travel. I was starting to get a little irritated, thinking I haven't even had my swimsuit on yet and it's going to be the 4th of July next week. In fact, I'm still not completely

Its A Small World, After All

2010-06-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of cities I was in this past Friday: Cooperstown, New York Palmyra, New York Syracuse, New York Detroit, Michigan Salt Lake City, Utah Provo, Utah Saint George, Utah Here is a list of people I ran into in those cities: Cooperstown: A high school friend I haven't seen in 20 years. Palmyra: Former next-door neighbors. Syracuse: Baseball teammates Detroit: A former co-worker

I'm Lovin It

2010-06-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

A few things I'm lovin in New York: My hair. The humidity has given my curly locks some stupendous ringlets. I could do a great rendition of "The Good Ship Lollipop." Darling. The scenery. Green, rolling hills are a beautiful sight and they go on forever. Love the vintage homes. Unbelieveable. Fireflies. Never seen one before in my life, until yesterday. Amazing. The food. Deli's,

Busy

2010-06-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Busy watching baseball games at Cooperstown Dream Park. Busy eating glazed donuts from Schneider's Bakery as suggested. Busy eating pizza from New York Pizzaria. Busy strolling the halls at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Busy congratulating the Red Dirt Boys on their win. Busy loving life.

I Knew You Could

2010-06-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

At my son's graduation the valedictorian did not recite a long, boring speech. Instead, she read a darling children's book that I loved so much I went out and bought it. If you've got a minute, I'd like to share it with you. If you're pressed for time, or your visiting teachers are knocking at your door, I totally understand. I Knew You Could - by Craig Dorfman I knew you could! And you

Kindness and Love

2010-06-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

Our family has a motto: kindness and love. Kindness and love are the areas in life I hope my family and I will have the most success in. It's a work in progress. I'm constantly encouraged by by the kindness and love of family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers. For example: A sweet someone I do not know sent me her husband's book. "The Divine Virtues -14 Values To Live By." Due

Random

2010-06-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

I guess our move scattered my brain along with our belongings. Here are some random things I'm thinking about: We leave for Cooperstown, New York this Friday so my boy can play in a baseball tournament. We will be gone for 10 days. My husband was just diagnosed with skin cancer. There are still many a box to unpack lying in random places around the house. The only things in my fridge are

Graduation

2010-05-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

I'm verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves.

Sweet Tooth Fairy

2010-05-26T05:29:00.000-07:00

If I had three wishes, I'd want them granted by a "sweet tooth fairy." And it just so happens that the one and only "Sweet Tooth Fairy" is coming to our town, so I'm in luck! If you read Nie, you may already be familiar with the gourmet bake shop called Sweet Tooth Fairy . Nie is a big fan, they even named their vanilla cupcake "vaNIElla" in her honor. When my 16-year old daughter heard The