the "network".

Well, the first real catastrophe at Mom and Dad's has occurred!!! Last Friday, as I was driving home from work, I got a call from Mack in a bit of a panic....a water pipe in the basement was broken! Water was everywhere! For those of you who don't know this-our basement has dirt walls! Water + dirt = MUD! And we didn't know how to turn the water off! I have never felt so helpless. Alas....Thanks to a quick-thinking (and incredibly handsome) friend, help was on the way!

Now, I have never had the need to call on the members of my church. But what is a gal to do when there is no husband and her dad is millions of miles away (love ya but miss ya Dad!)? Incredibly, as the bishop of my ward pulled up in front of the house I realized that everything would be okay. As soon as the water was turned off and the damage was surveyed, the troops were called in! I can only hope that the military has the same efficiency as the "Mormons" do! In a matter of minutes there were a dozen plus people in the house. Plastic was laid on the carpet-boxes from the basement were quickly moved up-a shop vac was soaking up the water-men were cutting pipe, replacing pipe, soldering pipe, checking pipe for leaks.....All of the wet clothes were hung on the line-wet papers and other items were laid out on the counter to dry.

As all of this was happening, there I am, watching the work happen with my mouth wide open! I had no idea what to do! With one phone call, people I don't really know very well dropped what they were doing and came to my aid! How does one express thanks for such a kind deed? I am so lucky to live among people who help others-no matter what!!!!

There are still things to be done! The clean up is moving forward! But, nothing of consequence was damaged! And don't think there weren't offers to take things home to wash! I am so grateful to those who helped! Thankful for those who let their husbands and sons leave the dinner table to come help some chick down the street! I am not sure how you thank someone for such kindness! But now I have one more thing to add to my list of things to be thankful for.....the "Network!" I am truly blessed!

"How beautiful a day can be - When kindness touches it"

-george elliston

Graduation...

Saturday marked the end of my quest for higher education. Although classes ended in December and my diploma is already framed, commencement took place on April 19, 2008. At first I thought it was just silly to take the walk. But the need to mark the end of this particular journey seemed in order. As commencement ended, my brother gave me a hug and said, "Welcome to the Club." What a great club to belong to...the college graduates! A goal I have always wanted to reach but little things kept me from attaining that elusive degree. But with the support of my family, friends, and other loved ones, I was finally able to complete my Bachelors of Science from Utah State University [Go Aggies, Go Aggies, hey-hey-hey!]

Thank you Mallory, Mackay and Duane for supporting my every move. Thanks for putting up with hours of classes, studying, and writing papers. For helping each other with dinner, homework and housework. Thank you for being strong and independent! I love you!

Thanks to all of you "Club" members, for setting the example for your daughter, sister, and friend. Thank you for encouraging me to just go for it! For reminding me that I could actually do it! Thank you for listening to all of my educational stories. Thanks for your love and support!

Thanks to my employees, my boss, and everyone I work with on a daily basis. You are my second family and I will never forget your help and support! Thank you for helping me proofread papers, explaining statistics formulas that I just didn't get, and putting up with leaving early and studying every spare second I could squeeze in.

I thank my professors who paved the road for me to follow. I have learned not only the course material but who I am and who I want to become! Thank you for helping me to stretch my mind and let in new ideas about the world me! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with me. I will never forget the life lessons I have learned from you!

I was never alone during my quest! Thank you all for pulling me along, pushing me forward, and letting me lean on you!! It may be my name on that beautiful piece of paper but your names will always be in my heart every time I see it! Thank you for helping me reach my goal! I love you all!

I want to be like the lotus flower

...from the depths of the muddy bottom of a pond, it emerges. It flourishes in clear ponds and muddy lakes. With roots buried deep in the dark soil-its stalk emerges and aims for the heavens-as it shoots through the water-to ultimately unfold a beautiful blossom! A flower that appears to be lazily floating on the water's surface. One petal at a time, the lotus begins to bloom with the first rays of sunshine. A symbol of renewal, transformation, and new beginnings- - the embodiment of unlimited potential...

I want to be like the lotus...No matter where my roots are planted-Whether life is clear or murky-I aspire to bloom with the morning sun! I long to become something beautiful. To take the daily struggles of life and and turn them into opportunities to grow strong and straight, with my sights set on the surface. To reach the morning when my soul can bloom! Petal by petal-each joy, each pain, each smile, each tear, each triumph, each trial....each experience sculpting the beauty of the blossom waiting to burst with the warmth of the sun!

How easy it would be to get stuck in the muck of life instead of pushing ourselves toward the surface where we are free to become what we are meant to be....more beautiful with each moment in the sun!

Throughout our lives, there are times when we are given a gift....a chance for a new beginning. These times of transformation may not always be what we planned for our lives. But-If we perservere, our stalks will become thicker and stronger on our journey to the surface. Making the morning bloom sweeter than we imagined.

Let us be like the lotus....constantly pushing ourselves out of the muck-stretching with all of our strength toward the surface-where the suns rays give us the opportunity to show the world our beauty!

A New Beginning

I have decided to jump on the band wagon and start a new blog. I have blogged before and have added some of my previous entries to this blog. I am ready to take the opportunity to share the life I have with my children with those I love. Right now it is just the three of us! Me-Mack and Mals! Em and the M's (do you get it now?) But there are so many we look to for love and support. Together we are on a new adventure, learning new things and working together to make our family successful. We are just getting started. But I am excited for our chance at a new beginning. And it is a good way to share fun times with each other across the miles.

2007 is gone....hello 2008!

2008! Wow! It seems like all I do these days is look back-analyze the past year-and hope for a better future. And yet, the beginning of a new year is a great time to take stock, count blessings, and set goals for the coming year....2007 was full of challenge, change, and chances! It was one of the hardest years of my life! But I made it. Thanks to good friends and family, I survived! And I am excited to spend the next year living, loving, and making the most of my days with the ones that I love!I am happy to say that I am now a Utah State University Alumni with a BS in Family, Consumer and Human Development (whatever that is, right?)!!! For the first time in years, I am not registering for classes, setting schedules and buying books. I am reading for fun! I am spending time with my kids! I am exercising! I am feeling! I am starting to enjoy life again-a new life-but my life. I am spending time just being me! And I am hoping that for now.....just being me is enough!

I bought myself a little desk calendar....with "wild words from wild women!" I can hardly wait to read what women have to say! My favorite quote right now is:"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. -Eleanor Roosevelt "Old Eleanor was a smart one....no doubt about it! I love to read her quotes and thoughts! I doubt I will see her words in "wild words from wild women" but you never know. What is wild to one person may be timid to another. You never know, one of those wild women may inspire me! To do what? That is for me to discover! And I am ready! (that was random) Well, whatever 2008 has to offer....I am ready!

Enough Reasons to Smile

For some reason, I can't keep from smiling today. During the past week a new baby has come into my family (through my brother and his wife). To share time with one of our Father's purest creatures fills my heart with love and happiness. Isn't it interesting that we always have enough love to share as our circle of family and friends gets larger? But somehow there is always enough to go around. If we choose to give it!The weather is still beautiful!! It is November and people are still golfing outside my office window. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees and I know snow is right around the corner. But the crisp fall mornings and warm afternoons....still make me smile!I have started to count my blessings every day. Each night as I get ready for bed, I think back on the day that has just finished and count all the good things that happened to me. The good is outweighing the bad! And I am discovering a theme.....my children! I will never be a perfect mom but the love I have for my children has taken on new meaning. They are my life, my everything! I am finding I have more patience than I once thought. They are fun, smart, capable, obedient, silly, and they are mine. I love spending time with them. There is a feeling of love and understanding in our home. How long it will last, I am unsure....but I want it to feel this way forever. I know how it got there and I know how to keep it! It is up to me!There are so many reasons to smile! Some are obvious and out there where everyone can see them-others I keep close to my heart. Things are starting to fall into place for me. I know that I am on a long road but if I keep moving and take the right turns - - one day I will look back and know I am where I am meant to be. For now, I will just keep moving and keep smiling....I have a lot to smile about!

Autumn....time for reflection....time for change

No spring nor summer beauty hath such graceAs I have seen in one autumnal face.---John Donne

Autumn is the time of year when the earth prepares for its winter slumber. Everything is changing-the leaves are falling from the trees, we wake up to crisp morning air, everyone is doning sweaters and earth tones. The World Series is upon us. For me it is a time for reflection. I time when I can look back, evaluate where I am now, and prepare for the future. This is the time of year when I think back on successes and failures-judge whether or not I have grown- -But, it is also I time when I look at my life and express thanks for all I have.

This year my list is lengthy but here are a few of the big ones:
1) I have two great kids who love and support me. They are my motivation to search for a better life.
2) I graduate from USU in December. As my days of higher education wind down, I am thankful for the knowledge I have gained, those who have touched my life through this experience, and the satisfaction of completing a long-term goal!
3) I have a deeper appreciation for my true friends! They have listened, talked, gave me a shoulder to cry on (a lot), supported, and simply been there when I needed them. I could not ask for better, more loving friends.
4) I am closer to my parents and family than ever before. I have spent too many years at arms length. My parents continue to give me unconditional love and provided me with a foundation for who I want to become. They raised eight children who all understand the importance of family. I am thankful for my sisters--those I was raised with and those who I have been given throughout my life.
5) Most of all, I am thankful for the chance to begin again. To take my life experiences , really take the time to find out who I am now, with the hope of finding who I want to be. Through hard decisions and work, commitment to my children, and a renewed promise to become who I know I am inside, the chance to find a deeper level of peace and happiness has been out right in front of me! And I am taking it!I have so much to be grateful for and I can't thank anyone more than my Heavenly Father-who gave me the courage to do what I have known was necessary to save myself and my children; who prepared and lighted so brightly the path for me to follow; sent me comfort (in so many different ways) for the times when I didn't think I would make it through the day; and has lead me to what I have been looking for-for such a long time!I look ahead with Peace in my heart and mind....a stronger Faith....Hope for the future....and Strength to hang on to the things I love most!

Lemon Fresh Joy

Last night I helped my sweet daughter bathe her lambs-yes lambs! It was quite a site! I held the halter while she hosed each one off, squirted on the lemon fresh Joy, and scrubbed them from head to foot. I am not sure who was wetter, us or the lambs. Even though the lambs seemed to enjoy their bath-it is still not easy to keep them still so water was flying everywhere! This is my daughter's first year raising livestock for the county fair. I am thrilled that she is so excited about raising and showing her lambs. Every morning and night, she walks through the pasture to the pen with her scoop of grain. When those lambs see her coming they rush to meet her at the gate-they know she brings the good stuff. Then she walks them to the end of the pasture and back. I love to watch her drag those lambs up the field trying to keep them from stopping every few feet to feed on the fresh pasture grass. And soon the county fair will be here. I can hardly wait the feel the pride raise in my gut as I watch my baby stand in front of the judge with a lamb at her side-dressed like a cowgirl with her white shirt, dark blue jeans, cowboy boots and hat. Although showing livestock at the fair is three days of hard work, it is all worth it once she enters the arena! The feeling I feel is something I can never get enough of!