Sunday, May 31, 2009

What a weekend!

There have been a lot of major things building up lately and several took place this weekend. First, my mom had her 80th birthday. I've kidded her for several years that we were going to get the Springville High marching band to play at her birthday. Well this year it happened - they really came and played! About 16 of them plus a band major and 2 flag twirlers. It was probably the most memorable thing to happen to my mom in a long time. People asked how I got them to play for her. I just asked. It's a longer story than that but the point is - if you want to make something happen you have to just ask the right people. Thanks SHS for coming through for her! And I appreciated all the family members who came, brought food, helped with dinner and cleaned up. We had a great time together - one we won't forget for a long time!

Next, my siblings and I got together for a pow wow and to oil the cabin. These were both momentous events - we discussed lots of things that needed attention and we haven't been in the same place at the same time for a very long time so it was good to be together. We had a lot of fun kidding around but we tackled some heavy duty subjects too. Oiling the cabin was a MAJOR job but we got it done in about 5 hours. Brett, Paul, Kelly, Riley, Jan, McKade, Paul and Brian Ashton and I worked on putting the oil on the logs both by sprayer and paintbrush. It was a hot, sticky job. Andrea and Amy brought Grandma Wheeler to the cabin so she could see the happenings. She was possessed for a few minutes by the spirit of Dick Wheeler, and, wearing his hat and a grandpa sweatshirt, gave a short speech on how much he loved his family and that we were all doing a good job to take care of it. (My mom is crazy.) The cabin looks amazing and is good for another 5 years, or however long it takes to oil it again.

Now on to youth conference ...

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Nine Mile Canyon

We had a ward trip planned for Nine Mile Canyon yesterday but because of rain, it was canceled. We decided to go anyway with friends Gord and Pam Oborn. We got rained on but we also had an incredible day. Nine Mile Canyon is near Wellington down by Price. The canyon is full of petroglyphs and pictographs, pictures made by pecking the rock surface and pictures created with some kind of paint. Many pictures can be seen from the car. The last bunch we saw we had to walk to and included a pregnant buffalo -- a picture of a buffalo with a baby buffalo inside. Many were discernable as animals or people. Some were odd shapes we puzzled over. It would be nice to know what the Fremont indians were thinking as they created these pictures more than 1,000 years ago. Was it a way to communicate or record history or was it ancient graffiti? Riley took many pictures and once I figure out how to post a picture with my blog, I'll put some up.

Very nice day with good friends. Don't ever let rain thwart plans to make a memory.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

I love the cabin

Riley, Andrea and I spent the day at the cabin yesterday. The goal was to not have a goal. After many hectic weeks of covering a million piles of responsibilities, I wanted to do nothing. I got my wish. Sort of. I slept in (til 8 a.m.), read in bed until 9 a.m., had cereal (read - no pancakes, no work), and then started cleaning. A friend asked why I included cleaning in my day of nothingness. Because cleaning takes no brain power - it's cathartic in that there is a transformation from before to after, without hurting brain cells to do so. The day also included a walk to the cattails through an area of the property I've never been on. Riley and Andrea and I walked together and they pointed out various birds, insects and plants. Very calming and enjoyable. After an easy lunch of foods that didn't need to be prepared, I read some more and then fell asleep. I don't think I've taken a nap on a Saturday since ... I can't remember when. The day wasn't rushed, there was nothing pressing to get home to, I didn't feel stressed and I accomplished things I didn't even have on my radar. Nice way to spend a Saturday.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Going to the temple

I got to go to the temple last night. I missed last month because of a stake meeting. I think back to when we lived in Texas and how we had to make a concerted effort to leave town for two days, drive three hours and stay in a motel just to attend the temple. Here I drive by the temple all the time - it's just minutes from my house. What a blessing!

As I sat there dressed in white I thought of the person I was going through for - was she there? How old was she? Sometimes I fall asleep during the session but I was determined to stay awake for Maude D. Lackey from Indiana in 1879, the woman whose name I had. Whether she was there to pay attention or not, I did, and I heard the familiar words from so many times before. It's truly comforting to learn line upon line at the temple. Sometimes I don't learn something new, but many times I do and I walk away in wonder. Something was said last night about the second coming and our need for preparation. I think so many of us shelve that thought until convenient times to think about it - maybe in discussions in Sunday School. But the fact is, it's there all the time - the second coming of Christ will happen and some who are alive on the earth today will probably be a part of it. I want to live my life so that I am ready for that day.

Monday, May 11, 2009

I finally figured out how to grow my fingernails long

I've been battling crappy fingernails for many years. I would use an emery board, nail polish or strengthener time after time. They would chip and split and look terrible about five days after I worked on them. When I was in Tahiti for a month in 2004 my nails grew long. I thought it was because I wasn't doing many dishes or using cleaning fluids. Recently I decided to go without nail polish. My nails are now long! It's the stupid nail products that ruin my nails! So no more nail stuff. I don't like them too long because I can't play the piano or type as easily but I have them long enough to like looking at them and they aren't ugly like before! Sometimes you just have to play detective to figure things out - they grew in Tahiti because I didn't have nail polish there to put on them.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

What mother's day is all about

I think a lot of people think Mother's Day is about telling your mother you love them. You should surely tell your mother you love her. But I think it's more about showing your mother (or wife) that you love her. It's a day for pampering, for telling your sweetheart or mom, "no, you're not going to cook dinner, or do the dishes" or whatever other chore needs to be done ... It's a day for a show - not even of grand proportions. Just a 'love' show throughout the whole day. Saying you love someone is easy. Showing you love someone takes effort. Thanks Andrea for making the angel food cake. Thanks Amy for making the cheesy potatoes and cleaning up. Thanks Brandy for cutting up strawberries and putting the glaze on the ham. Thanks Jason for doing all the little needful things to help. Thanks Parker kids for coming and for clearing all the food off the table. Thanks all for pitching in to create a nice day for me and grandma.