Spending It Wisely

It's over.  Summer as it matters to kids and to moms (but not to equinoxes) is over.  Today has been spent with our usual Sunday activities but tonight, the emotions were revved up as we labeled shiny new folders with names, filled boxes with complete sets of markers and crayons, scissors, glue sticks and even a fancy new spell checking machine for Seth.  It's the night before school starts and we....are.....ready!

The stars must have aligned into some make-Lucy-happy formation because this final weekend found both Jay and Seth released from their work and football commitments.   We packed the van full of sleeping bags and camping gear, loaded Jay's dad's truck with boat necessities and headed to the lake to enjoy our beautiful family time together.

The boys must have said it a dozen times throughout our two days together, but it really was the best weekend ever.  Our summer has been on the cool side, and hot, sunny days where you crave getting into cool lake water have been hard to find.  We were blessed to have two of them in a row, and we have the tans to prove it.

I have mixed feelings about school restarting.  At the beginning of the summer, I admit to being a little ashamed that my initial reaction to having my children surrounding me all day wasn't wondrous pleasure.  I had mistakenly believed that I was that kind of mom, the kind that can say with a straight face, "I can't wait to get my kids back all day!" because I truly felt that exact sentiment during previous summers.  The difference this time was that each of those previous summers meant returning playmates for whichever boy(s) were at home.   Needless to say, with Henry in all-day pre-school last year, that wasn't the case for this summer.  And that change to the flow of my day, along with the increase in noise, mess and demands for food, was a lot harder to adapt back into than I anticipated.

In spite my early summer misstep as the kind of mom I don't really want to be, the four of us eventually found our summer groove and most days have been delightful.   I am honest-to-goodness sad that summer is over and our mostly care-free days have ended.  On the other hand, I am a little glad that our care-free days have ended.  It will be good for all of us to have a few more responsibilities and I'm hoping some better habits in time-management return.  Plus, though faded, I still remember the thrill of child-free days.  It's not that the days are less busy, because oddly enough, that isn't the case at all  It's just....more....predictable?  Controllable?  I don't know exactly what but for me and my personality, there is simply less stressful.  Not those after-school hours, mind you.  Those hours between 3 and 9 are non-stop, which gives me stress, but I begrudge it less because I've had the day to prepare physically and emotionally.


So....it ends and it begins, as it will season after season.  The key, I'm learning, is to try and enjoy each season as it comes and to spend whatever moment I'm in wisely.

Ugly fish who beg for food at the marina.  They are enormous and black and very unappetizing.

Lots and lots of tubing this weekend.  The boys, especially these two, got braver with each outing.  No more tears when they get tossed off!

We still go pretty slow with this one.

Handsome guy.

Handsome guy.

Handsome guy.

Handsome guy.

We found some rocks to jump off of.  Sam was the fearless leader.  He is going to be one to keep us on our toes, I think.

Rock climbing to get to the jumping place.

This is actually the second time they jumped, because the first time, Jay insisted he go first.  It was more nerve wracking than Jay expected and while he was hesitating, Sam patted him on the back and said, "Go, Jay.  You're our only hope."  Funny, funny kid.

Jay has wanted to try this since hearing about all of his friends jumping the cliffs during high school.

Then my thoughtful Seth went.  For him to do this, when almost every part of his brain is arguing against it, is very, very brave and impressive.  Sometimes I worry about the attention Sam gets (from us and from others) for being so confident and courageous.  I know from comments Seth makes, that he is aware that those qualities are to be admired and doesn't understand his sensitivity is equally laudable.   Big props to this guy for doing this.  It was a BIG deal.

Relieved that none of the bad outcomes he could think of happened.

Then Sam went again, this time doing a 360.  Unfortunately, he got turned sideways and hit the water hard.

Then my littlest jumper who said he would jump off the rocks when he was, "a wittle bit owder."

Fun enough:)

Then skiing.

Sam and Seth too but I didn't get a picture of Seth because there just a lot more stress involved while he's out on the water (mostly from him screaming about how cold he is).

Campfire s'mores.

Stories, games and just chilling.

Ready for bed.

And so am I (Jay apologized for not taking pictures of me and made an effort to get this one.  Of course, being the vain person that I am, I had no desire to post this but have to reinforce the effort.  I am glad he wasn't able to get any of me in a swimsuit because I'm fairly certain nothing, not even reinforcement, would motivate me to post those online:))

Good-bye Summer!!!!

Getting Over It

• the sound of slurping with a straw.  It's gone already, O.K?!?
• Cars behind me in the merge lane that dart out into the traffic lane too early and then make it hard for me to merge into traffic.  
• Swim teachers that don't show up.
• having five, yes five, cordless phones around the house and not being able to find a single one when the phone rings.
• Qwest for only giving me three rings in the first place before my voice mail picks up.  
• being over half-way done with a scarf and making an ugly mistake I can't figure out how to fix.  
• piano lessons during the summer.  It's been a total waste because we are so inconsistent.
• Having to be the TV/Wii/Nintendo DS police.
• how flaky I can be sometimes.  I forgot about swimming with my friend this morning AND a playdate.
• being in my car all $%&*!@ day.
• cats who won't eat their dry food and beg at my feet for wet food.
• coming up with something for dinner.
• four adult women that set up their towels at the pool way too close to me, then talk so loud that I can't concentrate on my book, even though there was plenty of room elsewhere.
• teenagers and their inappropriate public displays of affection at a park with my young children around.  I wished I had my camera again although these young punks weren't even trying to be discreet.   
• Plants that need water.  Must I take care of everything???
• People who drive under the speed limit.  I know it's a speed "limit" but, c'mon!
• Sonic employees who mumble so I don't know how much I owe for my "Happy Hour" drinks.  I like to use exact change. 
• trying to park on main street during tourist season.
• tourists
• society, in general, with their lack of clothing coverage and inked skin.
• bookstores that don't carry a book I want.
• kids who leave all of their junk, garbage, swimtowels, waterbottles, K'nex in the car.  Don't they understand how many hours a day I have to spend in there?  I just want to see some carpet!
• K'nex.  They are of the devil.
• a husband who calls home to tell me he's on his way home and has had a bad day too....stealing all my grumpy mojo.  Because both parents can't be grumpy at the same time.  It just doesn't work.  

O.K. Putting on my happy face for the rest of the night.  

Book Review - Classic #16 - Brave New World

I had two reactions after reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.  They don't really follow the same thought, so I'll just explain them separately with no attempt to connect the two.

First, some background.  Set in the future when time is measured in AF (After Ford), the inhabitants of the Brave New World are all created in-vitro with a process that creates multiple divisions of a single egg, producing sets of identical people.  These groups of embryos are then determined into a class (Alpha-Epsilon) and while gestating in their test tubes, exposed to stimuli that will condition them for their lives.  Each group is taught that every class is important to for the society, as a whole, to work.  For example, Epsilons, the lowest form of human, are not allowed to fully mentally develop so that they will never challenge their positions doing mundane menial tasks.  Alphas, on the other hand, are considered the very best of society, and are developed in order to fill the most most important roles:  researchers, lab controllers, songsters, writers etc.  In other words, those who live in the Alpha world are conditioned to think and be creative, but only in a manner that is deemed acceptable, as we understand by following the troubled Bernard Marx and Hemholtz Watson, who are both aware of the danger that exists should their unorthodox thinking be discovered.

Promiscuous sex, drug use and euthanasia at 60 is also encouraged in this futuristic utopia.

What I noticed right away was the obvious lack of agency.  My own beliefs put a supreme importance on agency, opposition or as John the Savage (the protagonist who was raised outside of "civilized" society) the "right to choose unhappiness."  By creating a world where "Everyone is happy" it is easy to see that no one really is.  Sure, there is no disease and everyone is beautiful and there is no one who has less or more than they can use or enjoy, but their dependence on soma (apparently a safe hallucinatory drug) to keep things running smoothly indicates a false existence.  I kept thinking, "This is Satan's plan!" (which, I have to admit I sometimes think when I hear socialists talk about making things "fair").

As I completed the book, however, I had another disturbing thought.  When the citizens make comments that replace "God" with "Ford", I wondered if Huxley had really created a new world or simply replaced our current acceptable morality with a different, more shocking one.  Instead of families being the ideal, the idea of a mother actually giving birth, nursing and caring for her young was considered obscene - pornographic really.  But...there was still the idea that pornography or obscenity were undesirable and to be shunned.  It was just the matter of what was being shunned that had changed.  Likewise, the "everybody belongs to everybody else" mantra to encourage promiscuity instead of monogamy is just a flip of what we consider decent.  The alternative was considered dangerous and anti-social, but only because different morals were considered the norm.

But, I don't believe we live in an anti-agency society, so Huxley's Brave New World can't really be that similar to our own.  I don't think Huxley was satirizing our own moral conditioning so I'm pretty sure I'm wrong about that one.

Book Review - Classic #15 - Mere Christianity

I don't know how to begin this book review.  I've probably typed and deleted a dozen sentences already.  Why should this be so difficult?

Because, I liked it.

I did.

Except.

No. Even that part, the part he got wrong, I liked.

Which made me wonder.

Who is this book for?

Christians?

Obviously. We love this stuff. Having a smart guy give smart reasons to explain why Christianity makes perfect sense feels...smart. It sits well, if you will. Many, if not most, of his arguments were things I had not previously thought about in terms of why I believe there is a God and why I believe that Christ was our Savior, and to have them explained to me with both his brilliant circular logic and then the helpful and much-easier-to-follow analogy, filled my believer's bucket.

But I don't think Lewis prepared these addresses (Mere Christianity is actually a compilation of radio addresses he delivered on the BBC during the Second World War) in order to simply preach to the choir.

Because Lewis was a former atheist, I believe he felt strongly, especially during such a major conflict as the war which included in its causes a fight against evil, that the world needed to understand where our morality comes from.  I think he was motivated to convince the masses that goodness isn't something we choose because it makes the world a better place or because our parents taught us the golden rule but rather, we choose it because God is real.  Christ is real.  And the possibility to become like them is real.

So, what about the others?  How would a non-Christian respond to Lewis?

It's hard for me to say, because, while I think he's very convincing and right quite a lot of the time, there are times throughout the book where I think he's wrong.  I think he's wrong because I have been taught something different and I believe that to be truth instead.  It's difficult for me to not take that one step further and assume that others who have been taught something else might thing he's wrong in even more places.

This inability for me to claim the book as all right is a stumbling block.  I want to be able to say, "Read this.  He makes the case for Christianity."  But I'd have to add, "However, I think he's a little off about the Godhead."    Lewis, himself, frequently cites his own reasoning as guesswork.  I admire his ability to say, "I can't be sure but this is how I think it works."  If he had done that with the Godhead, I'd probably be a lot more at ease with my reaction to the book but he doesn't.  He's pretty firm about how God begat Christ, which makes him his "Son" although they are the same being, just as a cube can be made up of more than one squares but they are not separate from the cube.    They are the cube.  God is God.  All of Him.  I'd continue to explain the Holy Ghost but it gets a little confusing.  My belief that they are three different beings is so much more clear to me.

Still, it is what it is.  A fascinating and articulate justification forChristianity.  And read with a proper British voice narrating in my head, it was a delightful and enlightening read.

Sunday Thoughts - What Every Person Yearns To Know

I consider it an honor and privilege to know Jane Payne.  After previously becoming acquainted via our blogs, I met her briefly two summers ago when she threw together a pot-luck dinner when the boys and I were passing through her part of the world and have continued to admire her anywhere I may be through my trusty internet connection.   Her wisdom, good humor, and virtue are an example to me and to the world.

Last week, her granddaughter was born and lived for less than an hour.  When I read the news, I was heartbroken for her, her son and her daughter-in-law.

I am including a link to her blog today, not for the sake of voyeurism, but because there is power in her message.  There is truth and beauty and Good News.  News that needs to be shared.  News that not everyone knows about.

This is The Great Plan of Happiness.

Book Review - Classic #14 - Alice In Wonderland

For a book whose characters are referenced so ubiquitously in the arts and entertainment world, I was surprised that I didn't have a better idea about the plot of Alice In Wonderland.  I've never seen the movies (either the old Disney version or the recently released version with a disturbing Johnny Depp on the cover) but I don't live under a rock so I knew Alice as a girl with blond hair who wore a blue and white dress.   But, who was this white rabbit that seemed so concerned about being late?   Why was Alice constantly getting bigger and smaller?  What did the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts, not to mention TweedleDee and TweedleDum have to do with anything?  I really didn't know.

For example, did you know that Alice In Wonderland is not, in fact, a title used for Carroll's story at all?  The story, I believe, that most people associate with that title is actually a combination of two stories, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.   After trudging through the first story, I couldn't bear to attempt the sequel (which, apparently introduce the characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum.  I am thus still ignorant).  There really seemed to be no point.

With only half the tale read, I still have no idea what, if anything, it's all about because this is, by far, the strangest story I have ever read.  It's not funny.  It's not scary.  It's just really, really bizarre. For something classified as children's literature, none of the characters seem to have a purpose, even a simple one such as to entertain.  Alice seems confused and a little bit angry most of the time and is constantly trying to leave whatever situation she finds herself in, usually by eating cake to alter her size.  I'm sitting here scratching my head wondering for what purpose any adult would even present this story to a child.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not anti-quirky or anti-fantastical.  I think, oftentimes, those mediums can be wonderful conduits to showcasing the human condition.  Not so here.  There is nothing to learn and nothing to teach.  There is nothing to enjoy.  It's absurd frivolity.

Maybe the argument is that it's pure whimsy (shouldn't whimsy be more fun?).  Or that it's Lewis Carroll on a drug trip (this gets my vote).  Or, for those who are really stretching, that Alice In Wonderland provides an extraordinary example of logic (really???)  Any of these, if true, seem unable to support the staying power of this book.  Which leaves me to wonder:  Why do people like this and how did this book become a classic?

I Am....

a world traveler who has not been out of the country in a while.

a mother of a four, seven and ten year-old.

a wife who worries, a little, about the middle years.

a recent home owner.

a minivan driver for the sixth year running.

a sister to five siblings and fifteen in-laws.

a daughter to two people who have taught me how to think.

a daughter-in-law to a temple president and matron of the temple.

a person who just bought a really fancy blender from a person wearing a head-mic.

going to come up two books short on my twenty-classics-in-a-year goal.

proud owner of  some Pajama Jeans (which, by the way, I would NEVER wear in public)

a woman who struggles with her weight.  Still.

a singer thinking about auditioning for the local choir.

a knitter of one hideous pot holder, and two lovely scarves.

a triathlete.

a cubmaster.

a primary chorister.

a So You Think You Can Dance fan.

a snow skier.

blessed to be surrounded by good friends.

thirty-five years old.

With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come.

William Shakespeare

Right, Mom?

"(insert any random observation, statement, or comment here)" followed by, "Right, Mom?"

At least a hundred times a day (maybe even a hundred times an hour, but, perhaps that's an exaggeration. It only feels like it.)

For a boy who took his own sweet time to be verbal, he sure seems to be making up for lost time now.

Learning To Love Learning

Jay and I gave our "move into the ward" talks yesterday.  Usually, I am a write-out-every-word talk giver.  This time, I spoke much more off the cuff so the words below, though written out in most places, are actually just an outline.  I had to cut some parts and expounded more on others.  I have found that by posting my talks on my blog, I have the best system of organization.  I'm sure there are pre-blog talks on some of our old computers, but it is so nice to know I can click on my "talk" label and be sure to find a few.  That is why I am posting this unpolished talk.  And for my parents, who always appreciate knowing what their children's talks were about.





Because I wasn’t given a topic when asked to speak several weeks ago, my side that likes to choose the path of least resistance considered reusing a previous talk I had given in the past. I re-read through several of them, felt convinced that the doctrines contained in each was still true and thought, “O.K. I’m done!”


Even my sister, who I told of my plan on the phone, concurred that it was a great idea. She defended her support by pointing out that general authorities and high councilmen often reuse talks. Still, an idea to speak about something that wasn’t already saved on my computer kept tugging the back of my mind. I went online to do some research and printed out a half dozen talks and devotional addresses given within the last decade.


I found it ironic that this topic I felt compelled to develop was Knowledge. Even more ironic is the fact that I didn’t notice the irony right away. The motivation for choosing the topic was more along the lines of “Everyone is getting ready to go back to school or send someone back to school. This talk will be a kind of Going-Back-To-School pep rally!”


It wasn’t until I was immersed with the delightful language and insights of our esteemed General Authorities, with the scriptures to support their persuasive arguments as to why gaining knowledge is a Godly characteristic, that it hit me: I am following that commandment right now. Preparing for this talk is giving me knowledge. This led me to consider that my original plan, reusing an old talk, while a lot less work would have left out this important step of gaining knowledge. It made me wonder how many other times I choose to pass over the step of learning something, instead sticking with the things I have already learned or already know.


I’m certainly not saying that reusing an old talk is bad. Having your own archive of gospel study is a wonderful resource and there will no doubt be situations when revisiting previous research will be beneficial to others and yourself as well. No, what that realization did was prompt me to focus less on the subject of knowledge in general and instead concentrate on the step that precedes it – learning to love learning.


In the words of Solomon: “With all thy getting get understanding.”


In the words of Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the twelve apostles, “Learning to love learning is an absolute necessity in the world in which we do now and will yet live, serve and work."


Elder Bednar spoke to BYU students in a devotional where he focused on attaining this love of learning. He told the students, “The overarching purpose of Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness is to provide His spirit children with opportunities to learn. The Atonement of Jesus Christ and the agency afforded to all of the Father’s children through the Redeemer’s infinite and eternal sacrifice are divinely designed to facilitate our learning.”


The Plan of Salvation is designed to help us learn! Everything we are asked to do, including presenting a sacrament meeting talk, is done to help us learn. This is made clear in section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants where members of church are commanded to learn: “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad”


The prophet Joseph Smith further explained the benefits of learning when he said, “a man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge and that whatever principle of intelligence we attain in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.“


Pretty compelling reasons to break out the scriptures and physics text books, right?


Yes, but remember the proverb “With all thy getting get understanding.” We do an awful lot of getting outside of the school and church walls. I believe this wise counsel invites each of us to learn in everything we do. So often, we limit “knowledge” or “understanding” to information delivered to us via something like a book, movie, instruction pamphlet or another person. Of course, each of those things is a means to learning, but they are not exclusive. Let me give you a few examples.


An example: knitting. Talk about learning to knit.


Another example: being a ma and pa on the trek
.
All of our prophets have diligently urged the Saints of the church to get as much knowledge and education as we possibly can.


Brigham Young lived during a time when formal education was much more of a luxury than it is today and only had eleven days where he “formally” went to school, but he was a great lover of learning. Some wonderful quotes:

• The religion embraced by Latter-Day Saints, if only slightly understood, prompts them to search diligently after knowledge. There are no other people in existence more eager to see, hear, learn, and understand truth. 

• Put forth your ability to learn as fast as you can, and gather all the strength of mind and principle of faith you possibly can, and then distribute your knowledge to the people.

• This work is a progressive work, this doctrine that is taught the Latter-day Saints in its nature is exalting, increasing, expanding and extending broader and broader until we can know as we are known, see as we are seen.

• We are in the school of mortality and keep learning, and we do not expect to cease learning while we live on earth; and when we pass through the veil, we expect still to continue to learn and increase our fund of information. That may appear a strange idea to some; but it is for the plain and simple reason that we are not capacitated to receive all knowledge at once. We must therefore receive a little here and a little there.
• We might ask, when shall we cease to learn? I will give you my opinion about it: never, never.

Our current prophet, President Monson, and former prophet, President Hinckley, also stressed the responsibility we have to gain knowledge during this earth life. Recognizing the various circumstances and ability to access opportunities to learn, president Hinckley established the Perpetual Education Fund patterned after the Perpetual Emigration Fund used to bring saints to Zion in the early days of the church. Both leaders were and are acutely aware of the necessity of constant learning.


The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today’s college graduates will have between 10 and 14 different jobs by the time they are 38. Obviously, it’s rarer and rarer that that one thing you love to do, or even the focus of your studies and degree will be all the education you need to achieve financial stability. However, Elder Bednar reminds us that “Learning to love learning equips us for an ever-changing and unpredictable future. Knowing how to learn prepares us to discern and act upon opportunities that others may not readily recognize.”


President Uchtdorf of the first presidency supports this idea with stories from his own childhood. He remembers the difficulty for himself and his family following the Second World War. Although his father was a civil servant by education, he was required due to their existence as war refugees to work as a coal miner, uranium miner, mechanic and truck driver. His mother started a laundry and worked countless hours doing menial labor. President Uchtdorf learned to help the family by delivering the laundry on his bike. He used that experience and recognized further opportunities to learn. He learned about determination and optimism from his parents. He learned that adversity, when confronted with faith, courage, and tenacity, could be overcome. He also learned that those who are unafraid of rolling up their sleeves and losing themselves in the pursuit of worthwhile goals are a blessing to their families, communities, nations and to the Church.


Uchtdorf sums up his experience by saying, “During challenging times, it is even more important to learn. Knowledge does away with darkness, anxiety and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge is.”


Brothers and Sisters, we are in the middle of challenging times. This is not the first time nor will it be the last. We would do well to learn and follow the examples in the scriptures, and counsel of our leaders to “get understanding with all our getting” and to develop a love of learning. Even if you aren’t convinced, or don’t feel motivated to study and ponder and learn and do, obeying the commandment Heavenly Father to “do it anyways” will bless you. Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained in a recent conference address that “Obedience and knowledge are mutually reinforcing: knowledge encourages obedience and obedience enhances knowledge.”
Remember when Nephi had to build a ship? Do you think he had the knowledge to build a ship? His is a great example of learning what to do. He was not a sailor. He was raised in an inland city.


It is very unlikely that he had any experience with shipbuilding. Not only that but he had to get this ship, which he didn’t know how to build, to a place he didn’t know how to get to. He might not have had the knowledge but he did have obedience. From the obedience came the knowledge. The Lord promises us, just as he promised Nephi, that “If thou shalt ask, though shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peacable things – that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.”
It is unlikely any of us will ever be commanded to build a ship but each of us will have our spiritual and learning capabilities tested over and over.


We are not alone, however. Brigham Young taught that if we will follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, each of us will be put in possession of the Holy Ghost and we will know things that are, that will be, and that have been. We will understand things in heaven, things on the earth, and things under the earth, things of time, and things of eternity.”
What a promise.


There is a saying that Education is not so much the filling of a bucket as the lighting of a fire. It spreads. It lights the way and it gives off energy. We have so much to learn and do on this life and our Heavenly Father wants and needs us to go out there and learn it and do it. In every area of our lives: at school, at work, at home, at play, as a child, as an adult, as a man or as a woman.


The Glory of God IS intelligence.

Things I Now Know After Doing a Sprint Triathlon

1.  Jay is sneaky.  And really, really supportive.  It's so easy for me to play the victim and think that all I do is support everyone else in their endeavors.  Well...if I don't do anything, then it's pretty hard for the rest of them to be supportive.  I was touched and a little bewildered when I saw these fancy schmancy signs waving around throughout the race.  Even thinking of Jay going near the craft section of Wal-Mart to find all of this stuff makes me smile.

The boys working on their posters after I had left on Saturday morning.

2.  Seeing these guys before the race started was a mood booster.  I was more than a little bit nervous on Saturday morning, but as soon as my family showed up, I settled down.  There was nothing left to worry about, it was time to start.

****Disclaimer****

This is the last picture where I am fully and decently clothed.  As much as it pains me and goes against my better judgement and pride to post them, I am including pictures of me that are not flattering.  By giving you advanced warning, I am hereby released from any future claims of emotional scaring.

3.  There are all types of swimmers.  I was most confident about the swim, so it helped that it was first.  When I went to pick up my packet on Friday night, each racer was given a heat assignment and I learned that I was in heat #2.  I panicked and asked the people in charge why I was in such an early heat.  Not understanding I said, "I'm not fast.  I mean, my estimated swim time might not be that slow, but that's my best event and I'm really, really slow at the other two and I shouldn't be in an early heat!"  Then, I was calmed down after it was explained to me that the heats were in reverse order, with the slowest people going first.    So much better.  I was impressed that the really strong swimmers could do it in less than half the time I could and relieved that there were people who were much slower than me.  Does that me I like to be average?

As I came to this edge after every lap, all I could hear with each breath was, "Go Lucy!  Go Mom!  Go Lucy!"  Not only was my family loud, but my two friends who were also doing the triathlon, Lori and Erin, started after me so they joined in the cheering.

I finished my 500 m swim in 12:29.

4.  It is cold running outside right after a swim.

5.  Transitions are fun and challenging.  There is an excitement present when you are trying to hurry to get somewhere else.  I was soaking wet and should have practiced getting my biking shorts and shirt over my swimsuit because it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I really did try to hurry, but I think my transition time from swim to bike was over 4 minutes.  The winner did it in like 21 seconds.  So, that's something I can improve on:)

6.  My favorite thing of the whole day was having my number marked on my left arm and my left calf.  I'm not a fan of tattoos, so I'm not quite sure why, but it was such a badge of honor to me!

 I saw Jay and the boys at the top of a hill on the bike course.

I was the only participant that had signs made for me.  At least I didn't see any others.

They really do help.

7.  I really need to work on my biking skills.  My philosophy about biking was that I could ride a bike therefore, I could do a triathlon.  As biker after biker passed me throughout the thirteen miles, I realized there is a lot more to it than pedaling.

8.  I also realized why everything I read said not to do it on a mountain bike.  It made the hardest part of the race (for me) even harder.  I was on my bike for 1:09.  That is a really bad time, if you don't know.  I'm not ashamed of it.  I'm glad I did it.  But that is a really, really slow time.

9.  While the transition from swim to bike was tricky due to different gear needs, the transition from bike to run was hardest physically.  Those muscles just don't want to go in that direction right away!

10.   It's o.k. to walk.  But I hope the next time I do a triathlon, I won't have to.

11.  Oh yeah...I want to do it again!

Jay and the boys at a park along the 5K route.   Jay actually got emotional seeing me at this point.  I could tell he was just really, really proud.  Something about doing grueling races that speaks his love language, I guess:)

I finished my run in 39 minutes.  Don't they say slow and steady wins the prize?  Well...not in the case but the slow and steady can finish!

12.  I had no idea I could finish in under 2 hours, but I think I could have had my mental game been on.  With a little work on everything, I know I can be in the less than two club next time.  My over all time was 2:03.

13.  I have great friends and family who support me.  Thanks for your calls, your messages of support, your pre-race drop-by, your help with training and your tips for doing it better next time.

Afterward with Lori, who got me there by keeping me swimming and always, always encouraging me.  We did it!

Sickness Or Health?

I have spent the week hoping to catch a bug.

The flu perhaps.

If not the flu, then maybe just a bad cold.

Surely there is someone out there with a contagion I could catch with a lengthy handshake or having them cough on me.

But I'd need a fever for it to be legitimate.

I suppose I could handle chills and a rash as well, should further proof be necessary.

However, I don't want any stomach issues.  I've vomited daily through three pregnancies to ever wish for that.





O.K.

One time.

I'd be willing to vomit one time.

Pretty desperate, eh?

You see, if I was sick....really sick....I could legitimately get out of participating in this blasted sprint triathlon I overzealously signed up to race in this Saturday.

I started swimming in February to complete an activity for a family exercise challenge.  I liked it so much I kept at it.  Another month, I tried out bike riding, an activity I hadn't done outside on a real bike as a form of exercise in over a decade.  While my reaction to that particular sport was much, much less enthusiastic (remember, the bike seat and the heel of a stiletto use the same principles of force and pressure),  knowing the old adage "Just like riding a bike" was true - you do remember how - birthed the idea of doing the local triathlon on August 7th.

"Months away!" I thought.

"Plenty of time to train!" I reasoned.

Now the confession:  I was in better shape two months ago than I am now.

I don't know what happened, specifically.  We moved, the boys were suddenly constantly around, I started sleeping in, it got too hot.  Blabbity, blah, blah.  Summer seems like an ideal time for exercise and healthy eating.  Why I haven't managed to consistently do either is not only frustrating, but devastating for a girl who is signed up to consecutively swim, bike and run in three days time.

For multiple reasons (fear of letting myself and others down, fear I'll never try again if I don't try now, fear that I'll have this failure gnawing away at any goal I set for myself in the future, plus the much more important reason that I actually think I can do it, albeit very slowly), I am going through with it.

The triathlon, that is.

Who'd have thought choosing health over sickness would cause such hand wringing?

Symbiotic Living

I live in the country.

So do lots of other things like chipmunks, squirrels and mice (and frogs and owls and raccoons and skunks and porcupines and deer and mountain lions and bears.  But I'm not worrying about all of those just now).

In spite of movies that make rodents seem adorable and talented, I prefer my space to be mine and not theirs.

(It's not like they have manners, you know)

So, I got cats.

As in plural.

They are sisters who are outside/sleep in the garage cats.

I used to feed them and clean the litter box but Sam has taken over as carer of the cats.

They are a bit antisocial (which is fine with me) but chase after lizards, bugs and those chipmunks that always ran amok on my deck.  I also haven't seen any evidence of mice since they came to live with us.

It's called symbiosis.

Meet Scout.

Meet Jem.  

Book Review - Classic #13 - Gone With The Wind

Of all the classics I've read this year, this has been my favorite.  Several have clocked in at over a thousand pages, such as this one, but this is the first whose ending came too soon for me.  I loved it so much I wanted more.  Let me tell you why.

First and foremost, Gone With The Wind has multiple levels.  I adore books that successfully pull this off.  For example, should you want a simple romance (although there is nothing simple about Scarlett and Ashley, Ashley and Melanie or Scarlett and Rhett's romances), it's there.  Want a coming of age story?  You got it.  Need social commentary?  Yes.  Want historical and geographical insight?  Chalk full of it.  Isolate this story into any of these genres and you've got several versions of a good story.  Combine them all and you have a classic masterpiece.

In short, it's really got something for everyone: man, woman, and teen.  I think that's why the movie was/is as successful as it is.  It gives bits and sometimes more than bits of most of these levels that make it accessible to nearly everyone.  In fact, it is more than fair to say that the movie is an excellent and accurate adaptation of the book.  The skeleton and many of the muscles are left completely intact.  Characters were cast pretty near perfectly to the author's description and the dialogue remains mostly unchanged.

However, much like the details of our skin and features make the man, the unabridged inclusion of the area's Civil War history, deeper character development, and more realistically nuanced plot of the book make the complete package a stunning model.

The fact that Mitchell wrote such a multi-layered book would have made me an ardent fan all on its own, but the fact that she drove along her story with main characters so fabulously flawed and unlikable (but not bad) undams my inner gush.  I mean, she takes this absolutely shallow and conceited girl and gives her strength and determination.  Which do you cheer for?  Those qualities aren't supposed to be combined!  Ahhh, but they are so you have to root for Scarlett O'Hara to succeed because you need something or someone to win within that collapsing society, even though you know she, on principle, deserves to fail because she cheats.  She lies.  She throws decency asunder.  But she survives because she's willing and morally able to get her hands dirty.  I still can't decide if I'm meant to like her or hate her.

Then comes Ashley who is profoundly more developed in the book than the pretty gentleman character we see in the movie.  Ashley is an ideal Southern gentleman.  I found it interesting that even Southerners didn't appreciate his fondness for books, music and ideas.  Even to them, his refinement as a man was less desirable than had he preferred to drink and hunt like the majority of his land-owning peers.   For those who don't know, Ashley is the man who Scarlett becomes fixated with as a young woman and idolizes to the point of fantasy to fuel most of her motivation.    Unlike Scarlett, Ashley cannot adapt either to the war or after the war.  For me, he is the face of Gone With The Wind.  A man with no marketable skills, he loves his wife but lusts after Scarlett, a distinction the very surprisingly sexually naive Scarlett does not understand (I say surprising because she was so quick to pick up on other areas of...er......business matters).  I really did enjoy Mitchell using their frustrating relationship to highlight the contrast between Scarlett and Ashley, in both their motivation and understanding.

With Ashley comes Melanie, his sweet wife, who is a good soul.  Melanie IS the kind of character you love to root for because she is smart and good and kind.  But with her good qualities comes a noticeable lack of strength.  Not moral strength, for the author gave her plenty of that, but her physical weakness keeps her from being an idealized caricature, instead keeping her withing the realm of possible.  At times, Melanie seemed...well...too good to be true but then the author would have her help bury a burglar Scarlett murdered or lie to the police about the KKK (which seems so sympathetic in this story) or ultimately confide that she knows her husband can't take care of himself.

Finally, there is Rhett Butler who, in my opinion, is the most faceted character but least understood.  Rhett, who regularly behaves badly, but for seemingly different reasons than Scarlett, mocks the values of his fellow Southerners.  He admires the scruples of Scarlett, who beguiles him with her temper tantrums and spoiled nature and continuously encourages her to be her worst self.  Unlike Ashley, he freely admits his lust for Scarlett but her naivety again plays a role in that she never acknowledges those feelings within herself and consistently rebuffs his advances in favor of her childlike affection for Ashley.   Rhett woos and woos, and in turn becomes the one person Scarlett can turn to for help, but it's never without strings attached which makes liking him complicated.  Was he just one of those men who only likes the chase or is there a deeper, kinder, more misunderstood person beneath his devil-may-care surface?  Mitchell certainly hints at this and Rhett is often portrayed as one deserving sympathy, but this side of him is never quite exposed so i don't think the reader can ever be entirely sure who Rhett Butler is.

I shouldn't have written "finally" because there are many, many more interesting and wonderful characters to flesh out this story.  The slaves, the neighbors, the other husbands, the relatives.  Even the settings become characters as I became acquainted with Atlanta and rural Georgia in a way I never have before.    All of their stories make Gone With The Wind what it is:  a fully developed voice for the side of history that usually doesn't get one - the side who lost.

There you have it.  A losing side, characters behaving badly in an era and part of the country I have no ties to and I loved it all.  I felt it all.  I saw it all.

That's good fiction, folks.

Everyone Should Have One

A Jen, that is.

My sister, who I know I used to call Jenny (because I wrote that in my journals) but is most definitely now a Jen, is truly a delightful person to be around.  Hard to believe, but there was a time when we did not get along.  Like a lot of sisters, we had different styles.  She was clean whereas I was sloppy.  She had a number of organized collections, I trashed most things I owned.

Once, when I wanted to borrow a sweater of hers, she insisted I sign a contract which included a list of charges I would incur should I return the sweater late, dirty or not hung up (I'm pretty sure I still owe her money for that).

Another time, I actually gave her a black eye after we tussled on the piano bench.  It's not like I purposely punched her, but I did swing my arm back pretty hard after she pushed me (at least that's how I remember it).

I'm sure I was just an annoying younger sister.  We are only seventeen months apart and one year apart throughout school, so we had a lot of the same friends even though we each had our own things.  Still, we loved each other in spite of it all.

It was during college, however, when my sister became my friend.  I love being with her.  It helps that we have children around the same age who adore each other. Sadly, it's a lot more difficult to gather now than when we lived two hours apart, so when an opportunity to spend three straight weeks together arose (a week in Utah for BYU football camp, a week here at my home before the family reunion began and the week of the reunion), we took it.

It all began in Provo where we rented a house together.   The mornings were spent watching our boys play football, but each afternoon, we managed to do something fun.  One of those days involved a very thorough tour of the BYU athletics facility.  We had a tour guide who took great pleasure in showing us the parts of the building that aren't normally seen by the public.  Included were the film room for the athletes, the training room with the hot and cold pools, the head coaches offices and a conference room used by the big time donors.

Can you guess what they are doing?  It helps if you read the sign behind them.

Some future players, perhaps?

Our tour guide showing off the fancy schmancy conference room.

One evening we hiked the "Y".  I'm sorry, but that is a really hard hike.  It is steep and kind of boring because all you do is zip up the side of the mountain on switchbacks.  All the murmuring stops once I get to sit on the humongous white Y.  It's quite amazing.

Cute kids.

On the way to my house, we stopped at Wilson Arch for a quick hike.  We did it in flip flops, which wasn't the best idea.

So strong!

Love my boys.  I'm so fortunate to get to do these fun things with them while their dad works hard to pay for it all.

The day after we arrived, I talked Jen into running in a local 5K with me to complete part of a family challenge we had organized.  She's in much better shape than I am, and I slowed her down, but it was a great way to start the day.  Jay had all the kids cheer us on at the finish.

A typical scene of me running behind Jen.

All done.

Part of our goodie bag included dog treats, which Sam wanted to try.  That made it a challenge for all of the kids to try one, but none of them got it down like Sam did.  Odd kid.


Our older boys have always been close, but it was really fun to see Henry and Sadie bond throughout these weeks.

Jen and her husband, Christopher, put on a rather spectacular fourth of July show in front of their house each year.  Their kids were definitely disappointed with our non-existent show, but we did get them Pop-Its to throw at each other.

Later we went to a park to watch the local fireworks show.

One evening, Jen accompanied me while I re-hiked my nemesis.  It was validating to hear her say that the end was scary.  We both got up without incident (i.e. weeping and wailing on my part).

Jen with D-town in the background.

Not many guests come with the intention of cleaning and organizing your home.  O.K.  a lot of mine seem to, but one of the reasons Jen decided to come out for so long was because she possesses talents that I lack.  Specifically, she can organize a space whereas I just fill up the space.  I wish i had taken before pics but this is an after picture of my garage following a hard day's work with Jen in charge.

We collected a lot of garbage with all of the organizing and left it outside one evening with a plan to take it to the dump the next day.  Mistake!  There are raccoons that like to break open trash bags and spread out your trash if you leave it outside.

She not only organized my garage, she organized my basement, my laundry room, the sun room and the mud room.  When her husband came, he hung hooks and pictures and accomplished in a few days what would have taken me months (years???).  She even helped me with my kitchen.  I thought I had that organized but after she pointed out the awkwardness of having my spices share a cupboard with the cups and glasses, I just let her do what she wanted to do.  It's much better now.

Before the masses came, we headed up to the local ski resort for some summer fun.

Jonas and Sam

Ansel and Seth

Owen and Jen

Christopher and Sadie.

Vroom, vroom!

Jen takes Owen on the final turn.

Like I said, everyone should have Jen.

But I'm especially glad that I do.