Elitch Gardens

There was a lightning storm last night and everything I wrote was erased. I don't have the heart for a second attempt at being witty about sharing Elitch Garden's Amusement Park with a couple thousand eighth graders (you'll just have to guess how much I enjoyed that) but here are some pictures:

First ride was the Tea Cups. I have become much more choosy about rides and will go on any roller coaster or thrill ride but don't enjoy spinning for the sake of it anymore. It gives me a headache. Here is Jacob, Sammy, Erin, Seth and Michael. Michael and Jacob had their cup going extremely fast and we adults who were watching, wondered if they noticed the look of worry on the younger faces. They must have because after a minute, they slowed down and told us afterward that they didn't want to get thrown-up on. Good choice.

Rex martyred himself and took the younger two: Brooke and Henry. His heart was bigger than his stomach, however, and he felt sick the rest of the day.

Next up was one of my favorite rides - the octopus (or spider). The up and down combined with the spinning makes me giggle. Of course, since Henry and I don't exactly equally distribute the weight, we only spun in one direction. Still... it was all fun except for the minutes we were hanging out in the air while the other people loaded on and off and Henry kept trying to stand up and see what was happening. Not good for a mother's heart.

I took off and rode a couple of coasters with Sam, but Jay stayed with Henry and took some pictures of him enjoying the park's kiddie rides. He's all smiles here, but Jay said he found this smooth swinging boring.

What he really liked was the roller coaster. The operator gave a spiel each time with the gist that if they wanted to go around again to give a thumbs up. Henry spontaneously gave this gesture each time. He loved it.

Sam was all thumbs.

click to enlarge to see the faces of glee.

Each time around, Sam and Brooke tried something else. Arms up. Eyes closed. Eventually tongues out. They made the little coaster as scary as they could.

Tough guy brothers, Rex and Jay.
It was not a warm day on Tuesday and the high was only 61, but somehow they thought a ride whose sole attraction is to get wet was a good idea. Here is the initial splash when the boat comes down the ramp....

Then they pass underneath a bridge that drips more water onto the already wet passengers....

And you're left with cold and wet riders. Some (and I'm not mentioning any names) handled it a bit better than others.

Wet and happy Rex and Brooke.

Sam had a good time and wanted to ride again but his boring mom said, "No."

Jay finally got in on the action and rode the Sea Dragon with the rest of the family. He'd been on Henry duty the entire day while I went and rode some of the big roller coasters with Sam (so fun...except Sam got a little scared when I put us in the front cart on the Boomerang coaster), so watching him sit on the back row, the seat that goes the highest in the air, was funny to watch. He never took his hands off the bar and told me he thought the boat was going to flip upside down for sure.

Once Jay got started and most of the eighth graders left, the lines for the popular coasters shortened considerably and he wanted to ride the Twister II with the boys and Erin. That left me on Henry duty and we headed back over to the Octopus. Here we are on the top as Henry struggles to get out. As long as we were going, we were both having fun, but Henry doesn't have the patience to stand still.

This is one of the best roller coasters. It's called the Half Pipe and it mimics the motions of a skateboard going up and down in a U-shape. The seats also spin and the feeling of being completely vertical while spinning is unique. Unfortunately, you can't see Seth, who is sitting on the other side of Rex, but he is quite the coaster junkie now.

Nothing like expensive food and sodas to get us through the day.

It was another fun day in Denver and if we can manage to plan it around Free-Pass-For-Eighth-Grade-Day, I think this will become a nice addition to our Bolder Boulder tradition.

How To Run A 10K The Fun Way

If you happen to be an out-of-shape-non-runner signed up to participate in a 10K road race because it is your husband's idea of a good time, I offer the following advice:

1) Make sure the 10K is the Boulder Bolder. While I'm no racing expert, I do recognize competent organization when I see it and this race has all of its I's dotted and T's crossed. They've been doing it for 30 years now and except for the annual "Where to park" challenge, the whole process couldn't proceed smoother. I love the starting waves format. I love the timing chips for our shoes. I love the festivity. Even before we started running, I wondered why I had been dreading it because the entire atmosphere oozes fun.

2) Plan to run with a nine year-old. Seth, Sam and I all started at the same time (wave NE with a start time of 9:01 am), but I only ran with Seth as Jay came back after finishing his race to be with Sam at his Bolder Boulder debut (I ran with Seth when he was six and doing it with a six year-old is a very different ballgame.)


3) Be-bop to Pink's "So What" while shuffling towards the starting line with the other NEers.

4) Shout and woop it up when the gun goes off. Make sure to make some goofy faces for the camera overhead.

5) If someone has a hose out for spraying, make sure you run through it.

6) Run by and shimmy with the Mile 2 belly dancers.

7) Go as fast as you can over the timing chip sensors....just in case you get extra points for speed.

8) Get to the 5K marker and realize you have made it halfway!

9) If someone happens to have a large bowl of Doritos and is offering them to the racers, grab a handful.

10) Don't be in so great a hurry that you don't have time for a homemade slip-n-slide.

11) Accept someone's kind offer of a free banana.

12) Convince your mother to dump a cup of water over her head.

13) Run through every sprinkler along the way.

14) Dump two cups of water over your head at every water station.

15) Make your way up the final stretch of road before entering the stadium.

16) Smile when you realize you only have 0.2 miles left to go.

17) Give as many people as possible in the stadium a high five on your way to the finish line.

18) Realize that not only did you finish, but you finished exactly at your goal time of 1 hour 30 minutes.
19) Watch your six year-old son and brother jubilantly enter the stadium with a proud papa.

20) Understand that you just succeeded in doing something that was very hard.

21) Watch skydivers carrying the flags of each branch of the military and eventually the American flag jump out of an airplane.

22) Cheer as they land in the middle of the field while Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA" plays on the loudspeaker.

22) Tear up as the military gives a 21 gun salute and plays Taps for every fallen soldier.

23) Watch in amazement at the precision of the jets on their fly-by.

24) Leave just as the rain begins to fall with this year's family representatives.

25) Appreciate this guy, who ran his personal best at 37:44 (his watch said faster but that is his official time), who then ran back to the starting line (two more miles) to do it again with patience and love with our Sam and then ran two more miles to get the car to pick us up. He probably ran about 17 miles in all.

26) Last but definitely not least, have a wonderful friend offer to watch your squirrely three year-old. Liz, a friend from our old Denver ward who also happens to be my sister-in-law's sister, graciously entertained Henry and his cousin, Brooke, while the rest of us raced. It was an almost eight hour commitment from start to finish (including us re-fueling at the scrumptious Pei Wei after the race) and we returned to the house to a happy Henry. Thanks, Liz!!!!!

It was a great day. If you ever have the chance to be in or around Denver on a Memorial Day weekend, consider participating in the Bolder Boulder. Not only is it a great race, but it is exhilarating to be around so many people joined together to honor our country's brave soldiers.

In spite of my previous complaints, I'm glad it is our family tradition.

And So It Begins....

I keep hoping for words to come to me, but I'm dry. I sat down to write a book review and kept typing the first sentence about eight different ways until I clicked to another website, disgusted. I don't know if I don't feel like writing, or don't have anything to say, but in the meantime, here's how we spent our first weekend of summer vacation.

First breakfast of the summer and I went all out with three different kinds of cold cereal.

Yesterday, I thought the novelty of "no school" would be enough to keep the boys happy. I didn't think boredom would set in so quickly, but at about 1:00, Seth came upstairs after playing the Wii and said, "Are we going to do anything fun this summer?" I promised we would but suggested that today we could just relax and unwind. Sensing his dissatisfaction, I asked, "Do you wish you were in school?" and do you know what he said? He said, "Yes." Yes! Thankfully, Jay was off and took the boys to the library to get some books from their summer reading list and I went and got myself a pedicure.

I'm bummed because I already chipped the paint off my big toe when I cleaned the floors yesterday. I should have worn socks. Speaking of socks, my little heel-fixing-toe-less socks have worked wonders. I still have cracks, but no longer crevasses, and I'm happy to report that the person giving me a pedicure not only didn't say anything BUT didn't even have use the blade!

Miracle of miracles, I had a babysitter for the evening so that Jay and I could go to the Star Trek movie. Like most babysitters I hire, this 13 year-old was a bit uncommunicative, so I can only guess that everything went well with the boys, but Jay and I had a great time. The movie is really entertaining and really funny at parts. Jay and I are good at spending our evening hours together when we can, but it's different when you leave the house. I liked it.

Today, we woke up early and took the boys to watch the annual bike race against the train. Neither Jay nor I have any desire to ever compete in the event, but it's fun to see the bikers working their way up the mountain. Seth is a natural cheerleader and clapped for every biker. Jay had two of his co-workers he wanted to cheer on, but those bikes pass by pretty quickly and we didn't see either of them.

Everyone watching except Henry who, as usual, likes to do his own thing.

The peloton. Or group of bikers for those not in the know. Apparently, they like to ride really close together to reduce drag. I can't even walk that close to someone without smacking wrists with the person next to me. I can imagine the kind of tangled mess of spokes and wheels I'd make riding a bike that close to other people.

This afternoon, the whole family went to see Night at the Museum 2. I thought there were some very funny parts, particularly when the night guards were going at it with the no-touching (who was that actor playing opposite of Ben Stiller? Funny, funny, funny.) Henry was wiggly and I felt tired after the movie was over, but at least Seth wasn't telling me how bored he was. No...wait. He did later when I told him he couldn't play the Wii. Serenity now!

I don't know why I wasn't looking at the camera, since I was the one with the camera and knew when I pushed the button, but that flash is bright in a darkened theater so I only took the one shot. Since we go to the movies so rarely, we justified spending our kids college education fund on theater treats.

Now we're heading to Denver for our annual Boulder Bolder run. I'm secretly dreading it (I guess the secret is out) but this is Jay's thing. He loves this race. He loves this tradition. I love him. I walk/jog 6.2 miles among 50,000 other people because of that.

School's Out!

I am a big fan of the school schedule here in Colorado. I love that they end the year before Memorial Day. What a bummer to have the tease of a long weekend, only to go back for another week or two. The weather is perfect and the boys and I are ready for lazier days and more relaxed schedules. Now...exhale!

Sam's kindergarten teacher ended the school year in a most charming way. Rather than having a graduation ceremony, which I'm not sure kids that age understand (we adults do, but I wonder if they get the flat hats. Actually, I don't get the flat hats. But I can always Google), she had all the parents come about a half-hour early to listen to our littles read the poems they wrote whose topic was something about Kindergarten.



Last story!

They were each wearing vests and wings that they had sewn earlier that week and after their poetry and a story, we all headed outside. She took all of her students to one end of the playground and had all of us parents line up at the other end. Then, one by one, she hugged each student and told them good-bye and they came running across the field, flapping their wings...flying to us. I got tears! So cute.








He sewed this bone onto the felt himself!

Report cards came as well and both boys have earned great grades. Seth went down a bit on his behavior marks (responsibility, attention, uses time wisely etc. all went from E's to S's. There were even some S-'s) and I need to spend this summer figuring out why. He has developed a significant mental block when it comes to writing. If his homework or school project involved writing a narrative or summary, he almost always turned it in late or incomplete. He seems to struggle with his fine motor skills a bit and as his writing assignments have become longer, his dislike of writing has increased. If you have any great ideas that would get him writing this summer, without it seeming like writing practice, let me know. Somehow, I think he'll rebel against a summer journal assignment.

Still, I'm satisfied that he's brilliant. He has a way of understanding math and concepts that really blows me away. And he loves to read. I guess I'll be happy with two of his three "R"s.

Now...onto the business at hand...

We're off to play (as much as my cold and cough will allow)!

New Specs

Henry got new glasses today. Kids in glasses are expensive not only because they are notoriously hard on glasses (scratches, bent frames, lost screws or just lost in general), but they also never stop growing. Henry needed a new prescription and bigger frames. I think these grey frames look fantastic on him.

Peek-a-boo!

Just In Time To Say Good-bye

Last week, Seth asked if he could invite a friend over. Really, it's the first time he's initiated this kind of thing here, especially with a specific friend in mind. I happily approved and, following scouts on Friday, the boys and I picked up his friend, Mooshu (real name Dragon). I have been hoping for this friendship to blossom because Mooshu is really bright, really friendly and all my deductive powers point to him being a really good kid.

They had a great time but as we were driving to our house, Mooshu told us that Friday had been his last day at school and he was leaving on Sunday for Taiwan for the rest of the summer.

His mother owns a local Chinese food restaurant and when I dropped him off there around 6:30, she treated us to dinner. She was really funny. I tried to insist on paying, because she included appetizers, three dishes and drinks, but threw my money back and said with an even thicker accent than she actually has, "Me no speak English!" Very kind and yummy!

So, no more playing the rest of the summer but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Seth and he are in the same class next year.

See you in 4th grade!

I didn't say a word....

I saw this the other day when driving by and had to get a picture. I'm suspicious.

It could just be a ploy to get my business back.

New Do

I finally bit the bullet and found a local salon to cut and color my hair. I literally opened the phone book, called one whose name I liked (I don't usually like hair salons who use puns or homonyms. They make me nervous with their bad grammar) and asked if anyone had an opening or cancellation today. Brittney had an opening at 1:00, so Brittney it was.

I liked her, as much as you can like someone after three hours of forced conversation. I decided to go shorter and trendier and took a picture of Gwyneth Paltrow's long bob in for inspiration. She talked me out of going blonder, which I guess I appreciate. I think I'm actually lighter than these pictures show. Jay even noticed that I was blonder, which means there must be a difference.

Anyways, this is big news for me....probably not for anyone else, but I thought I'd share.

A side view. The front is slightly longer than the front.

Ta-da!

Sunday Stories

Today was ward conference which brought about some changes as well as a few stake visitors to our ward.

During the second hour, Henry saw me in the hallway during his nursery walk (Guilty! But only because the Relief Society room where gospel doctrine is taught was beyond crowded with the extra guests and I was late to get there after helping Sam with his scripture in primary and so...yes...I did skip) and refused then to leave my side, forcing me to walk him back to his class.

As I was walking, the stake president, who also happens to be my brother-in-law, told me, "I've got a story to tell you later." His counselor who was standing beside him chuckled and said, "I didn't know how to respond." Confused and needing more information, I decided not to ask any questions since I had Henry on my hand and walked on.

As I neared the nursery, a member of the bishopric said with a big smile on his face, "Did you hear about what your son said?"

"Seth?"

"Yes."

"No. But I did hear about a supposed story from the stake president," I replied.

"Oh, I'll let him tell you then."

Still not worried, because Seth usually doesn't say anything too embarrassing, I dropped Henry off and saw a few members of the primary presidency out in the hall. Laughing, they said, "Seth said the funniest thing during primary!"

Due to the attention from adults I was geting, I demanded to know the story.

Apparently, and this is all second hand and Seth-hand (which isn't any more reliable), a member of the Stake Presidency asked the primary children, "What is your favorite time of day?"

I don't know why he asked it, or what kinds of responses he was looking for, but, apparently, Seth raised his hand and said, "Breakfast time. Because my mom is still in bed and I'm in complete control."

I guess this got a big laugh. What wasn't explained by my dear son, is that he wakes at the crack of dawn and suffers until I do wake up and feed him breakfast. I've told him, more than once, that if he wants a bowl of cereal that early, he is more than capable of getting it for himself. Because I do not need to wake up before 6:30 to pour Tootie Frooties. It would have been more accurate for him to have said, "Mornings" because he does, always, wake up before me (and everyone else) but it's not like I'm hanging out in bed while he runs the household in the morning. Which, I'm pretty sure, is the idea that every one in that primary room was laughing about.

Jay said he heard this story from several people. I probably got stopped by a dozen people before church was out. I remember those days in primary, when some child rats out their parents. Now I know....those kids don't give the whole story! Still, I'm glad my laziness provided some amusement to those in primary. Sometimes, those sweet souls need a little chuckle.

The other story of the day is Jay's new calling. After years of blissfully serving in cub scouts, Sunday school, and the rigors of co-chairing the activities committee with me, Jay's Sundays of sitting beside me in Sacrament meeting are temporarily over. Of course, he's been wearing a headphone and translating the meetings into Spanish for the last six months so him sitting with us was only a technicality (I called him a decoy), but now I'll be truly alone.

He has been called as second counselor in the bishopric and was ordained a High Priest today by his father. I feel bad for him, because he already has such limited free time, but know this will be a great opportunity for both of us and blessings are in store (Henry sitting still in Sacrament meeting would be a great one, if anyone in charge is listening). We'll see each other less. But, I also feel that with his work demands, and the years I've had to get used to his absences, that we're prepared for this. I'm not worried about sitting by myself or spending my evenings and weekends alone. I've learned to ask for help, go by myself and sit near sympathetic people. He'll be great and we'll be fine.

It was bizarre seeing him sit up on the stand today - only because he still seems so young to me. I guess we're not the spring chickens we like to think we are, but he looks like the 22 year-old I married, with maybe a few new platinum blond hairs mixed in. What I'm really looking forward to is moving to the middle section of the chapel. We've been side pew sitters for years and years, but I don't particularly like turning my neck sideways to see the speaker.

I guess I'm like Seth. I love having total total control!

Here's to looking at things straight on:)

Fast AND Friendly

We are Wendy's regulars. Sometimes, my boys need meals that come with toys and I need to eat something I did not fix and Jay needs something gluten-free. Wendy's, with their gluten-free chili and baked potato, kids meals with lame toys (they can't compete with McDonalds to get the latest movie merchandise so we have yet another Petz toy) and Spicy Chicken or their Chicken BLT salad for me (but never a hamburger because for some reason, square patties bother me), satisfies all three needs.

After piano lessons yesterday, the boys twisted my arm to get Wendy's for dinner. I'd say we frequent the fast-food chain about twice a month but whenever we go, we always have the same people working. It's a family, really, with daughter at the cash register, brother assembling sandwiches and mother managing it all. Our first encounter with the Wendy's family was on Sam's birthday, back in January, and the manager made a big deal about giving him a free Frosty with Oreos on top. Like, a BIG deal. Like, came over and hung out with us while he ate it and talked about how cool Oreos were. It was a little awkward, more so for Jay who never encourages stranger talk, but I appreciated her friendliness. After all, we are regulars and it was Sam's birthday (he loved the attention).

We've been back several times, and Sue, the manager, always manages to makes us feel like part of the family (but has yet to put us to work). Last night, however, everyone was a little too friendly.

First, we couldn't order until all three boys said "hi". Sam responded when Sue first said "hi" but then she complained that my other two boys always ignore her. So, I said, "Seth, she said hi."

"Hi," he lukewarmly responded (he may have some of his dad's sensibilities).

Henry turned on the charm and started chanting "HI!" all while hanging from the counter and running through the ordering chute. Sue was pleased.

With two kids meals, a nine piece chicken nugget meal (Seth has outgrown kids meals and just wants more food now) and a Spicy Chicken combo, two trays were required to hold all our food. The daughter recognized my moment of need and came from behind the counter to deliver the second tray. Nice. But then she wouldn't leave. She watched as I arranged a napkin for each boy's chicken and french fries and then decided that it would be a perfect time to start tickling Henry. Acknowledging her friendly, but misguided, intentions, I managed a no-eye-contact-closed-mouth smile.

About five minutes later, Sue came over to talk to us.

"Everything alright?"

"Great," I reply.

"Why aren't you eating your chicken?" she asks Henry who only stares back at her.

"You can't get a frosty if you don't eat your chicken," she reprimands. "I'm a mother too, you know."

"Henry, eat some chicken," I feel pressured to say. At that point, Sue decides to strengthen her new bond with Seth by tickling him. I had no idea Wendy's was such a hands on company.

None of the tickling was inappropriate, unless you consider tickling, in general, to be inappropriate (which I do, especially in a place of business) but it still made me uncomfortable. I like to consider myself a friendly person, and would like to return to Wendy's in the future under good terms with the management, but I'd also like to be my kid's only mom deciding whether they get a frosty or not.

The pressure to be nice while feeling annoyed proved difficult. Sammy spilled his chocolate milk and Henry wouldn't eat anything, and I fell into Sue's trap and took away the certificates to get their kid's meal Frosty, which led to a melt down. Henry's cries attracted the attention of both mother and daughter who left their stations to come see what was wrong. I chose that moment to throw away our garbage while Seth explained the reason for Henry's tantrum.

The matriarch agreed with my decision (at least I think it was my decision).

Do I dare go back to Wendy's?

If so, do I need to get a job there?

If I do work there, do I have to tickle the clientele?

Competent or Incompetent - That Is The Question...

1) Tire store puts winter tires on car. Tire store, in their haste, rips off tire pressure valve. Tire store apologizes, says ordering in part, will call when part comes in. Tire store never calls. Customer figures that after a month of waiting, she'll just have gauge replaced when snow tires are switched back with regular tires. At appointment, tire store claims ignorance about torn off tire gauge. Tire pressure sensor still all aglow on my dashboard.

Competent or incompetent?

2) Rental company in charge of home rental comes to inspect tile damage in rental home kitchen. Rental company sends tile repair man to estimate repair. Tile guy never to be heard from again. At inspection for a lease agreement to be re-signed, rental company inspects tile damage in kitchen. Renters inform, "This has been neglected for a year now." Rental company apologizes, claims to have new tile guy, and calls later that afternoon to set up a window of time when tile guy can come the next day to inspect damage. Renter says "between 10:30 and 1:30." Tile guy never comes. Tile guy never calls.

Competent or incompetent?

3) Renter hires out house cleaning responsibility to cover bases for lease inspection. Woman with business cards push pinned into neighborhood mailbox area claims to be a professional house cleaner with 30 years of experience. Renter calls "professional" to clean home the day before the inspection. Renter has house picked up, leaving only cleaning to be done. Renter tells professional cleaner about problem spots, including windows with little hand prints all over them. Woman claims to have never cleaned windows before. Renter also shows stainless steel refrigerator with hand prints all over it. Professional cleaner doesn't know how to clean stainless steel. Renter leaves for errands for five hours. Renter returns to find woman finishing mopping but with the excuse that she didn't have time for the stove or microwave, which haven't even been wiped down. Renter says, "bummer" but pays professional cleaner agreed amount. Renter then walks through house to discover the dining room table and chairs still dirty, only sliding glass door windows cleaned and floor underneath dining room table having remnants of dried food. Later finds piano hasn't been dusted, TV stand hasn't been dusted and floor mopping is unsatisfactory. Renter re-mops floors, including getting the mess under the table removed and wonders why "professionals" aren't better and faster than her.

Competent or incompetent?

4)Renter schedules carpets to be cleaned with recommended company. Renter foolishly dismisses carpet cleaning company's offer to come by and do an estimate, as time is short. Carpet cleaners come and clean 861 square feet of white carpet, which now looks amazing and has a one year guarantee. Carpet cleaners move furniture, leave a bottle of spot remover, a magnetic marker board for refrigerator, notepad, pen and next day sends a thank-you note and message on answering machine hoping their service was satisfactory. Renter can't respond to any messages because she is still in a state of shock after paying carpet cleaning company over $500 for their service.

Competent or incompetent?

5)Mother agrees to sons playing outside, as long as older two boys keep an eye on little brother, as he tends to wander. Mother, in her defense, is putting together mother's day gifts for the four women she visit teaches. When older two sons return home, mother asks, "Where is your brother?" Nobody knows. He's not around our house. He's not around our neighbor's house (where he normally is because they have a swing set AND a sand box. She cannot compete with that). Mother walks over to neighbor's house because with a swing set and sandbox, he must be there. Neighbors outside doing yard work. They haven't seen little boy. When walking back in the direction of her own home, mother finds her little boys walking out the front door of neighbor's house. Mother picks up boys and wonders if she should confess about her son's breaking in and entering. She doesn't.

Competent or incompetent?

Person with the most correct answers will be rewarded with referrals for any company mentioned above plus an all-expense paid afternoon with Henry. As an added bonus, he's right in the middle of being potty trained! No purchase necessary to play:)

Some Thoughts (Not My Own) On Mother's Day

There were many parts of Gilead that I loved, but one that really struck me as profound was Reverend John Ames thoughts on the fifth commandment: Honor thy father and mother.

Here are some of of the better parts:

"Sometimes I almost forget my purpose in writing this, which is to tell you things I would have told you if you had grown up with me, things I believe it becomes me as a father to teach you. There are the Ten Commandments, of course, and I know you will have been particularly aware of the Fifth Commandment, Honor your father and your mother. I draw attention to it because Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine are enforced by the criminal and civil laws and by social custom. . .

I think it is significant that the Fifth Commandment falls between those that have to do with proper worship of God and those that have to do with right conduct toward other people. I have always wondered if the Commandments should be read as occurring in order of importance. If that is correct, honoring your mother is more important than not committing murder. That seems remarkable, though I am open to the idea.

Or they may be thought of as different kinds of law, not comparable in terms of their importance, and honoring your mother might be the last in the sequence relating to right worship rather than the first in the series relating to right conduct. I believe this is a very defensible view.

The apostle says, "Outdo one another in showing honor," and also "Honor everyone." The Commandment is much narrower. The old commentators usually say "your father and mother" means anyone in authority over you, but that is the way people thought for a long time and a lot of harm came from it. . .

I believe the Fifth commandment belongs in the first tablet, among the laws that describe right worship, because right worship is right perception and here the Scripture commands right perception of people you have a real and deep knowledge of. How you would honor someone differs with circumstances, so you can only truly fulfill a general obligation to show honor in specific cases of mutual intimacy and understanding. If all this seems lopsided in favor of parents, I would point out again that it is the consistent example of parents in the Bible that they honor their children. . .

My point here is that the great kindness and providence of the Lord has given most of us someone to honor -- the child his parent, the parent his child. I have great respect for the uprightness of your character and the goodness of your heart, and your mother could not love you more or take greater pride in you. She has watched every moment of your life, almost, and she loves you as God does, to the marrow of your bones. So that is the honoring of the child. You see how it is godlike to love the being of someone. Your existence is a delight to us. . .

As for the child honoring the parent, I believe that had to be commanded because the parent is a greater mystery, a stranger in a sense. So much of our lives has passed. . . Now, your mother never talks about herself, really, and she never admits to having felt any sort of grief in her life at all. That's her courage, her pride, and I know you will be respectful of it, and remember at the same time that a very, very great gentleness is called for, a great kindness. Because no one ever has that sort of courage who hasn't needed it. . .

But, I wished to say certain things about the Fifth Commandment, and why it should be thought of as belonging to the first table. Briefly, the right worship of God is essential because it forms the mind to a right understanding of God. God is set apart -- He is One, He is not to be imagined as a thing among things. His name is set apart. It is sacred. Then the Sabbath is set apart from other days, for the enjoyment of time and duration, perhaps, over and above the creatures who inhabit time. Because "the beginning" which might be called the seed of time, is the condition for all the creation that follows. Then mother and father are set apart, you see. It seems to me almost a retelling of Creation - First there is the Lord, then the Word, then the Day, then the Man and Woman - and after that Cain and Abel - Thou shalt not kill - and all the sins recorded in those prohibitions, just as crimes are recorded in the laws against them. So perhaps the tablets differ as addressing the eternal and the temporal.

What the reading yields is the idea of father and mother as the Universal Father and Mother, the Lord's dear Adam and His beloved Eve; that is, essential humankind as it came from His hand. There's a pattern in these Commandments of setting things apart so that their holiness will be perceived. Every day is holy, but the Sabbath is set apart so that the holiness of time can be experienced. Every human being is worthy of honor, but the conscious discipline of honor is learned from this setting apart of the mother and father, who usually labor and are heavy-laden, and may be cranky or stingy or ignorant or overbearing. Believe me, I know this can be a hard Commandment to keep. But I believe also that the rewards of obedience are great, because at the root of real honor is always the sense of the sacredness of the person who is its object. In the particular instance of your mother, I know that if you are attentive to her in this way, you will find a very great loveliness in her. When you love someone to the degree you love her, you see her as God sees her, and that is an instruction in the nature of God and humankind and of Being itself. That is why the Fifth Commandment belongs on the first tablet. I have persuaded myself of it."

I love this discourse. I thought of it as my children honored me, as I honored my own mother, and as I observed the world around me doing the same. We have this day, where flowers and cards and calls seem in order, and I love the day. But, if we are paying attention, everyday is a day to honor our mothers and fathers. We don't need to buy them stuff, or bring them breakfast in bed, but to acknowledge that sacred role is in turn honoring our Father in Heaven.

I love you, Mother. I love you, children.

I honor you.

Music and Memories

It was an ordinary day, months ago, when the thought pressed into me, "This is my children's childhood."

I've had the thought before, but looking back, it was always before my boys were really old enough to remember: Seth as a three year-old and Sam as an infant at a Kindermusik class, picking peaches at a U-pick farm, waiting in lines at Elitch Garden Amusement park in Denver. Moments I recognized as great memories with my children but ones that, most likely, I'll hold onto alone. Unless you're my dad, most people just don't remember life at one, three or even five years old. Glimpses, perhaps, but not the material you use to describe your childhood to your best friend in college or boyfriend - the ones who didn't know you when.

I was standing in the kitchen, fixing dinner, talking Seth through his spelling homework while the sound of Sam practicing the piano filled the background. That's when it hit me - that this was the sound of my past...my childhood. With six children who all took piano lessons, and with a piano situated prominently in the front room, next to the kitchen and front door, there weren't many after-school moments that didn't include the Baldwin piano being played. Someone might have been doing homework, or reading a book, or setting the table (I'd love to include "help making dinner" in my list, but that wasn't something we did - so sorry, Mom) but each of those tasks was usually done with piano accompaniment. School-piano-church: those were my family's normal, everyday things.

While it's true that Seth and Sam have only just started with piano lessons, and there is a whole lot of childhood left to fill, I can't help but hope that the moment I described is one that sticks. I want their pasts to be filled with good memories - simple memories - of someone at the table doing homework, another at the piano practicing, and another playing/cleaning/chatting with me in the middle of it all, directing. Oh, I anticipate there will be other great stuff too. I want our lives to be filled with great trips, meaningful service, sports, scouts, and maybe even farm animals. But, I really, really hope the piano threads through it all. I think I want it because it was my thing, just like Jay probably hopes for runners. Gymnasts probably want gymnasts, ranchers probably want little 4-Hers, and lake people probably want water skiers. We want our own best experiences for our children.

It's not hard to imagine my delight during Seth and Sam's first piano recital this past Sunday. As soon as their teacher approached me about the possibility, I eagerly encouraged her. Yes! I want my boys to perform in a recital. I want them to learn how to polish a song and I want them to learn how to perform in front of a group and I want them to develop grace under pressure. I couldn't have been more pleased with the results. The songs they came home with three weeks ago were harder than anything they had played before, but they learned them and eventually loved them, in spite of the initial frustration that comes with a challenge. They both peaked during the recital - never having played their music as well before, or since. I was so proud. Mama proud.

At the nursing home where their recital was held. I didn't take any still photos while they were playing so I made them sit at the piano afterward and show me their "form".



Sadly, I bungled the videotaping and none of their performances managed to come out unscathed. So, frustrating, but I hope there are lots and lots of next times. I did go to their lesson the following day and tried to capture a recording then, but the mood wasn't right and the result does not show off their accomplishment. Still, it'll give you a taste of how much they have learned in four months.

Seth playing "My Red Racer" - a duet with his teacher.



Sam playing "Downhill Racer" today - because the video I took at piano lessons was kind of a melt-down disaster.



Seth playing "Creepy, Crawly Things" with Sam singing the lyrics.

It's Torture

Last Friday, our neighbors and friends, Erin and Dave, invited us over for an 80's party. Our instructions were to bring five of our favorite 80s song on a CD with the title, artist and album names removed so that they could play the game too. I wasn't exactly sure what the game was, but figured if a disguise was necessary, then it must be something like Name That Tune.

Sort of, but it also included name the artist and who we thought brought that particular song. The crowd was quite eclectic and most present were people I hadn't had much chance to socialize with so who brought what song was definitely the biggest challenge. For instance, When "Who's Johnny" from El Debarge started playing, I knew it was a Jay song, because...well...we both like that song, but who else would know that? It's not like he drives around the neighborhood with his windows down blaring the Short Circuit soundtrack.

Because guessing who brought what music was too hard, the game was reduced to simply calling out titles and artists. The titles were fairly easy but there were plenty of one-hit wonders to stump us. "867-5309"? We could all sing along, but only one person came up with "Tommy Two Tone." All the rest of us could do was shout, "Tommy Two Tone! Oh yeah!" a second later.

There were some other great stumpers: Wang Chung, Kim Wilde, and some of Survivor's lesser known hits (do you know any Survivor songs besides Eye of the Tiger? Apparently, one guest was a big fan) to name a few. I had one ace-in-my-hole on my disc, however, and I knew it would be a challenge. I sat there with a stupid smile on face waiting for this long-lost gem to be randomly selected by the itunes playlist.

As soon as the key-tar started, I looked around for other faces to show their delight at being reminded of this oft overlooked hit. It was all I could do to stop myself from singing along and shout out the answer before anyone else guessed it, but as soon as the vocals started, I understood that the song might not have been the hit I thought it was.

It didn't help that Tito, Germaine, Jackie or Marlon sung the first verse. Seriously...no one knows this song? O.K...they'll get it at the chorus.

No! Completely unfamiliar! By now, everyone knew this was one of my five, and Jay leaned over (because I had kept it a secret from him too) and whispered, "What is this?"

I told everyone to wait - that it would come - but even with Michael singing the second verse, the song's 1984 release was clearly not noticed by anybody else in that room.

"It's Torture! From Jackson Victory!"

Still....nothing.

"Remember the video? They were all caught in a big web and wearing Michael-esque costumes but Michael wasn't in it because he was huge then and on tour and it was quite the scandal? But, they show a lot of Germaine and he was...kind of a big deal too...then."

Nothing!

itunes selected the next song and everyone's creased foreheads smoothed as the familiar sounds of Peter Gabriel, Thompson Twins and even Night Ranger blasted through the speakers.

My disappointment over being the only one who apparently bought and loved the Jackson Victory tape subsided after getting a copy of both a George Michael and Journey CD (although the Journey was the "new" Journey with a Steve Perry sound-alike. Close, but my ears can tell a difference).



Excellent use of the body wave, Marlon.

Have you heard this song???

Book/Audio Review #56 - These Is My Words

Way back in the day, before I had ever joined a book group, before the world knew about blogging and before I began keeping track of the books with reviews, I read a book I loved called These Is My Words. I know I loved it all those years ago, and have told countless friends and acquaintances to read it based on that memory of loving it but, if you want to know the truth, the details about the story have become...err....a bit sketchy.

Oh, I remembered that it involved pioneers and a romance and a woman whose English skills improved with time, but beyond that, I was as clueless as the person who has never read it. Time and a poor long-term memory will do that.

Following spring break, I went to the library to pick up some holds that had become available. As I looked at the titles, I realized that at some point, I must have looked at a list of recent Pulitzer or Booker prize winners and nominees because each of them had some kind of acknowledgment on their cover. I sighed at the prospect of only having these options in the forthcoming weeks. Nothing against prize winning literature, but they tend to lean towards the heavier side of life. And I needed a break from heavy.

With books in my arms, I decided to browse through the shelves of fiction, hoping I might find something on the lighter side as a diversion. As I came to the "T"s, I noticed the book Sarah's Quilt, which is a sequel to These Is My Words.

At that moment, the only book I wanted to read was These Is My Words. Of course, the library didn't have a copy available, but the audio book version was on its shelf. 12 CDs and I left that library together.

I imagined listening to the story in my minivan as I drove around from errand to errand, but was quickly reminded that although the story is "clean" it isn't really for young children. There are descriptions of some rather brutal happenings as Sarah Agnes Prine and her family trek from Texas to the Arizona frontier to become homesteaders. Indian skirmishes, dying children and men taking advantage of scared young girls kept my listening a private affair.

I imagine most people who regularly listen to audio books have some kind of system that allows them to upload them to an ipod or something similar. My little ipod shuffle doesn't have that kind of memory, so I was forced to either play the CDs through my computer or listen to them on the portable DVD player we bought for our kids to use on trips. Again, I disliked the exposure of the computer speakers and after one disc, exclusively used the unwieldy DVD player.

Portable or not, holding onto something the size of a large book doesn't lend itself well to getting much done. On day one, I reserved my listening to lying in bed before I went to sleep. But, as anyone who has ever read/listened to These Is My Words before, it wasn't long before it consumed my thoughts and I couldn't help but put the next disc in....and then the one after that.

I did manage to iron a few things during one CD, but it was awkward. the cord of my headphones wasn't very long, and I found myself crouching next to the ironing board with my head bent in order to listen. In addition, if I was ironing a pair of pants and needed the entire board, I had to rig the DVD player underneath my armpit, and after a few times of the machine falling to the ground and pulling my neck with it, I gave up ironing:)

Oh...I loved this book! The reasons why came flooding back into my thoughts. I love Sarah and her no-nonsense strength. I loved her honesty, as a daughter, as a sister and especially later as a wife. I love how she mothers. I love how she tolerates her circumstances, celebrates her victories and mourns her trials. I just loved her.

Throw in Captain Jack Elliot and one of the greatest love stories in literature and you've got yourself the makings of a great book. No wonder I remember liking it so well.

The audio version had its advantages and disadvantages. I liked the narrator. She had a drawl that influenced my speech and thoughts for days afterward. I found myself using the phrase, "Fit to be tied" when I became frustrated. I may have even said it out loud once. And I'm still hoping my mother-in-law didn't notice too much when I over-enunciated my "r"s. I caught myself before it became too big a problem.

The one minus was that she also narrated for Captain Jack. I don't care how great a voice you have, a woman's voice lowered to sound like a man's still sounds like a woman's voice. Every time she spoke Jack's lines, I thought, "Nope...still you."

I am so glad I reconnected with this book. As soon as I finished, I ordered a copy off of Amazon.com, just so that I could have it handy whenever the mood strikes again. While certainly not "light" and definitely not "fluffy", I enjoyed Sarah's Prine's story of life in the Arizona territories during the end of the 19th century. If you're one of the few who haven't read it yet, I highly recommend the experience.