Giving Thanks

Before the feasting begins tomorrow, I wanted to reflect on a few of the many blessings in my life that I will be counting quietly on Thanksgiving Day.

I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan of happiness for us, His children. I'm grateful for His Son, Jesus Christ, who did His Father's will and atoned for my sins, suffering all my individual trials and afflictions, and dying so I can live forever in His light. I'm grateful that He knows me and is patient with me, that He does not expect me to be perfect today, but asks only that I keep following in His paths the best I can.

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Most pictures depict the Savior as solemn, sad, or even tormented. I imagine that throughout most of His life He had a joyful, warm, welcoming smile to share when He served His Father and ministered to His followers. He loves us!

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I am thankful that families are an important part of the Father's divine plan and that He has prepared a way for us to be together for eternity. I cannot believe that the bonds of love we cherish in this life will not exist in the next. I'm grateful for the love I've experienced and I'm grateful that one day all the people of earth will see past our perceived differences and recognize that we are all brothers and sisters in the family of God.

I am SO thankful for my 3 children, Sarah, Jacob, and Dylan. I can't even imagine what my life would be like without them. It is such a privilege to be a mother, one of the greatest blessings of my life.

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This was taken just after sunset on New Years Day 2004. My kids were playing in the waves at Oceanside, CA. I am also grateful for the breathtaking beauty of this amazing planet the Lord has given us to dwell upon.

I am thankful for the family I grew up in: my talented, hard-working dad, Myron; my mom, Jane, who loved being a homemaker; my 3 brothers, LeRoy, Jeff, and Darryl, who always make life so entertaining; and my sister Karla, who has become one of my truest friends. I'm also grateful for my step-mom, Kathy, who keeps my dad on his toes!
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Photo, left to right: Jeff, Darryl, me, Dad, and LeRoy on Memorial Day 2004.

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I am thankful for my brother-in-law Brian, with whom I've had so many interesting discussions, and my 3 wonderful sisters-in-law, Lori, Dana, and Tamera, who have become like sisters to me.

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At left are Lori and Dana on my dad's back porch on Labor Day 2005. Below is Tamera and a couple of her granddaughters on Memorial Day 2004.

I am thankful for my many nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 26 years t0 21 months old. They were "Aunt Mary's kids," bringing joy to my life long before I had my own children. I am grateful to be able to watch all 32 of them as they grow up and begin families of their own.

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I am grateful for the power of faith and prayer that brought miracles of healing to my nephew Josh and, most recently, my niece Callie. I'm grateful for the many people who extended their love to an entire family, many of them strangers to us, to join us in prayer and to offer service. I'm also thankful for the miracles of comfort and peace when we lose those we love, like our sweet Rhionna.

I am thankful for a lifetime of good friends who have been there for me through every sort of crisis as well as the good times.

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At left is me with my best friend, Peggi (visiting from California) and my sister Karla at the Mesa Temple in July 2005. Below is me with another best friend, Gwen, at Sarah's violin performance in February 2008.

These wonderful friends include Peggi, who I've known since 7th grade, with whom I stalked the Osmond Brothers in 1972-74; Jill, who I've known since 4th grade, who helped get me through early morning seminary; Joan, whose children I babysat for many years, from whom she's now been blessed with 3 beautiful grandchildren; Gwen, who I met just 2 years ago but I know has been my sister-friend since the spirit-world; Wyndie, with whom I share the ups and downs of teaching high schoolers and running the Primary; Vicky, who taught me about strength and grace under pressure, and Vicki, who still teaches me about living by faith; Julie, who suffered through the single years with me; Rhona, who introduced me to Japanese culture by getting me a job in a Japanese factory 1978-1980;

Linda, whose sense of humor saw me through my years as an instructional aide; and Sue, that wild and crazy gal who showed me how to laugh at myself. That's just to name a few!

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My apologies if I inadvertently left anyone unnamed. Please know that every friend is beautiful and precious to me, and I will forever treasure the memories we've made together.

And there are so many more blessings to express my gratitude for. The general safety and overall health of my family and friends; our cozy home; our beloved pets; a never-a-dull-moment job that not only provides for my family but allows me to be home when my kids are at home; and the opportunities brought on by the challenges of life.

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There is no way to name every good thing in my life, but for each blessing I give thanks!

Fireworks and Twilight

I experienced my own little miracle this week: my computer has recovered! My amazing superfriend Wyndie not only got me back online, but she also located all my documents and photographs!

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When those documents suddenly reappeared, it was like fireworks began exploding joyfully in the air around me (cue the inspiring music)!

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There are still issues to be worked out, like accessing some of the music we'd downloaded, but I'll happily deal with those minor details!

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I did lose emails I had saved as well as all my email contacts, so I hope you'll each send me an email soon so I can get your addresses back into my contact list. I feel so cut off from the world!

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A word to the wise: NEVER click on "PC Restore (F10)". It is NOT the same thing as the ever useful "System Restore"! And remember, a flash drive can be your best friend. Back it up!

Moving on... Last night Sarah, Jacob, Dylan, and I went to the opening night of the movie Twilight, based on the first book of the series by Stephanie Meyer. There were more than a dozen people in our party, including a slew of nieces and nephews. The theater was packed, mostly with female fans of the book's romance between teen Bella and her vampire love, Edward.

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After hearing the buzz, I bought the first book a few months ago to check it out. It quickly disappeared into Sarah's room, where she devoured it before I even cracked the first page. By the time I finished the first book, she had read all 4 books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. She thought it was terribly romantic.

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I read the entire series, and as a fan of fantasy and science fiction tales I found the books to be enjoyable. However, I have issues that will surely make me unpopular with twi-hard fans.

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The media has gone on about how Bella and Edward's romance is a return to old-fashioned values, and how LDS concepts are found in the books, but I just can't ascribe these attributes to the story. In fact, if I hadn't already known, I would never have guessed the author was LDS--and that's not a criticism!

It seems to me that Bella's feelings for Edward are more like an unhealthy obsession than true love. He's a drug she can't live without, an addiction.

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Her friendship with Jacob is open and equal, a better basis for real love. Okay, so he becomes a werewolf, but that doesn't change the fact that he encourages her to be herself. She feels good about herself when they're together.

In the first books, I was also disturbed by how controlling Edward was in the relationship. He controlled Bella physically and emotionally, a bad thing to link with love in the minds of young girls. As a high school teacher, I see this dynamic in too many teen couples, this belief that control is a way to demonstrate love.

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Thankfully, by the end of book 3 Edward learns to respect Bella's right to choose for herself and take her own risks.

As for Edward and Bella's sexual restraint, Edward's willpower was inspired by fear of losing control and killing Bella, not respect for her honor. Bella herself had no qualms about consumating their love; only Edward's stronger will stopped her. The omnipresent sensuality was a bit too direct for a series targeting young girls.

Like the book, the movie contains melodramatic scenes of smoldering glances, stuttering declarations, and the torrid emotionality of forbidden love. Yet I feel the romance is not too heavy-handed, the sensuality is downplayed, and Edward actually takes pains to refrain from controlling Bella. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the movie version of Twilight.

The movie remains faithful to the spirit of the book while presenting a more balanced tale. Bella's obsession with Edward is still central to the story, but there is plenty of humor and action for non-fans who want to see a good vampire flick.

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In fact, both my sons enjoyed the film more than my daughter! She liked it, but the boys loved it. They insisted, "Mom, we have to buy it when it comes out on DVD!"

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And hey, ladies, let's just face the facts: Jacob Black is way hotter than Edward Cullen! Pure animal magnetism!

Computer Holiday

One of my Top 10 nightmares has come true. Thanks to my lack of computer savvy, I somehow made all my computer files go away. No more pictures, no more documents, no more Internet connection. To say I was slightly hysterical when I realized what I had done would be a gross understatement--from the way I was carrying on, I'm sure my sons thought that someone I dearly loved had died.

Thousands of hours of work gone, gone, gone . . . (sob, sniffle). All gone with the foolish touch of one wrong button. So it may be awhile before I'm able to post more blogs. I'll be setting up my computer again and desperately trying to retrieve the data that passed on too soon...it was still so young...such a waste...

I've learned my lesson, and I hope you'll also learn from my mistake. A flash drive can be your best friend. Back up all those files regularly, because you just never know when your computer might step in front of a truck, I mean, when it all may come crashing down.
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In case you're wondering how I'm doing this post, I'm at my work computer right now--after school hours, of course! I can't access my personal photos and such to blog from here, and now I can't do it from home either! (More sobbing, more sniffling...)

I hope to be back online in the next day or two so I can at least check my emails and do other important Internet stuff. However, I may have to hire an expert to search for my documents on the hard drive, I may have to re-upload and re-edit all my photos, I may have to recreate all my documents, I may have to have no life for the next several months!! Please wish me luck--I'll need it!

Honoring Our Veterans

Veteran's Day was an ordinary day at our house. I surprised the kids with biscuits and gravy for breakfast, but we spent the morning cleaning house before I released my self-professed "slaves" to spend time with their friends.
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While I worked, I thought about the men and women this holiday honors. Our veterans are anything but ordinary, and I'm proud to count many among my own family.

Today I'd like to honor my uncles who served our country. I only wish I had pictures for each one.

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This is my dad's older brother, Uncle Ernie. He served in the Marines as a turret gunner on a TBF (Dad says it's a type of warplane) in World War II. Ernie survived to marry Aunt Alma and have 5 children. They still live in California.

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My mom's older brother, Uncle LeRoy, served in the Army during the Korean War. He was stationed in the Orient and sent exotic gifts home to my mother, who was a teen. LeRoy returned to marry Aunt Betty and help raise her son and their 2 daughters. They also live in CA.

This is Uncle Johnny, who married Dad's sister, Aunt LouDene. During World War II Johnny served in the Military Police and then later in the Army's 8th Air Force in England. He and LouDene raised three children in California, then later moved to his home state of Texas. Johnny passed away in the 1990s, but LouDene still lives in Texas at the age of 82. In fact, she surprised me with a call one night last week. I loved talking to her!

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My Uncle Elmer and my Uncle Max also served in the Army during World War II. Uncle Elmer was in the Military Police. He married Aunt Jean, another of Dad's eight older sisters, and they raised three kids. Elmer passed away just a few years ago but Jean still lives in California.

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Uncle Max married Aunt Irene (yep, you guessed it: my dad's sister!) and they raised eight children in Utah. They have both passed on.

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I have many cousins who have served over the years, but I don't dare name them for fear of missing someone. Let's just say I am proud of each and every one for their selfless sacrifices. Our family has been so blessed in the fact that all returned to us safe and sound.

My step-mom's family has also provided many fine servicemen over the years. Here we see Kathy's late husband, Jim Stringer, receiving his lieutenant bars when he transferred from the Air Force to the Army as an officer. The lovely lady at his side is my step-mom, Kathy.

Two of her sons also served. Donald (at left) was in the National Guard. Joel (at right) was a Seaman Recruit.

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Our family expresses our pride in the fine men and women in uniform, wherever they serve, and our prayers for their peace and safety go with them. Thank you all for protecting our freedoms at home and abroad! God bless you!

First Snowfall

Our first snowfall of the season drifted down upon us last night. It fell pretty heavily for a little while around 7 pm, then slowed for the rest of the night. We awoke this morning to about an inch on the ground.

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Not enough to cancel school, but enough to dazzle my eyes!

I know cold weather isn't everyone's cup of hot cocoa, but I do love the snow! Driving to work this morning was like traveling through a landscape sprinkled with powdered sugar.

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The first snow of the season is especially enchanting. I always feel like I've stepped into a life-size, sparkling Christmas card!

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Even the bare limbs of the leafless trees are beautiful after they've been limned with glistening snow. The world just looks fresher, cleaner somehow.

These pictures were taken by Jacob while we got ready for school this morning. Didn't he do a nice job?

The snow provided my first opportunity to try out the all-wheel-drive on my new little red car. I'm happy to report that the traction was great and the heater and defroster were quite efficient!

Heavenly Father has made a spectacular world for us to enjoy, wherever we live. I'm so grateful for the beauty of the earth!

Yet, with all the beauty surrounding us, it's humbling to remember that WE are His greatest masterpieces. This amazing planet is but one of God's great gifts to us, His children.

I stand amazed at His love for us!

Remembering Halloween

One week ago today was Halloween, but there's been no time this week to look back on the holiday. However, my sister-in-law Lori and my niece Cami both had the chutzpah to post their Halloween blogs several days after the fact, so I will do likewise!

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Here's Dylan in his pirate persona before school that morning. We had fun applying the Johnny Depp-style eyeliner! Well, Sarah and I enjoyed it--Dylan was slightly less thrilled!

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Our usual tradition is to dress up the kids and hit as many community activities as possible. That usually includes the town trunk-or-treat, a school carnival, and a church party. Then the kids end the night with some old-fashioned trick-or-treat in the surrounding neighborhoods.

This year we were only able to attend one function: the Halloween carnival at church. Jacob's priests quorum was in charge of "Spook Alley," so he spent the week locating ghoulish items and setting them all up on the stage.

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This is the first picture I took with Jacob's faulty camera after mine quit. Just tell yourself those are ghostly images of spirits who attended the carnival with us!

Dylan painted a pumpkin with his high school Big Sister, Chanda, and Jacob scooped out the seeds and roasted some yummy pumpkin seeds, another of our annual traditions.

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We spent the entire evening at the carnival. It's fun to see all the creative costumes and the kids' excitement as they join in the cupcake walk, dunking for doughnuts, bean bag tosses, balloon darts, and other fun booths.

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The Spook Alley was a success. My good friend Gwen and I heard plenty of playful screaming coming from the stage! Lots of kids went back time and time again. At left is Jacob with one of his little ghoul-friends while cleaning up after the party.

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That night Sarah went to babysit for a neighbor while the boys and their friends haunted the neighborhood until about 10:30. They came home with their bags well filled with candy. I happily accepted donations of small M&Ms bags and bite-sized Crunch bars!

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Now for a short trip down memory lane. Back in the early 1980s, my friend Julie worked at a bank where they had an annual pumpkin decorating contest. For about 3 years she brought me a pumpkin she planned to enter and an idea for how she wanted me to decorate it. If I remember correctly, I think our pumpkin won every year.

Here are Julie and me with our winning entry for Halloween 1982. I was a baby then, just 28 years old. Julie was 22. (It was bedtime, if you wondered about my nightgown!)

I hope you also had a memorable Halloween. May Halloween 2009 bring you many more happy hauntings!

Phoenix, Part Two: Jeff

We arrived in Phoenix on Saturday, which happened to be my brother Jeff's 47th birthday. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to talk about him and post some embarrassing pictures!

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I'm sure he never dreamed he'd be celebrating this birthday at Phoenix Children's Hospital, but what an incredible blessing it has turned out to be!

A great belated birthday present he received just yesterday was the news that Callie will be coming home on Friday! We are all so excited to have her here again!

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He was surrounded by family as we celebrated his big day with pizza and a huge chocolate cake. We missed our youngest brother Darryl, who lives in Missouri, and our sister Karla, who was on her way to the Grand Canyon with family.

However, our brother LeRoy and his family joined us. That's LeRoy, his wife Lori, and their children Katie and Nate at left.

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We were also joined by several of Karla's children: Genevieve, her husband Scott, and their little girls Brooke and Jaycee; Elyssa and her husband Ross; and Celesta, Brianna, Mariah, and Julien. It was so fun to see them all!
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Later that night Jeff and Dana were treated to a Suns game by their daughter Ashley, and they ended up with extra tickets for LeRoy and his daughter Katie to attend also! They had a great time, and it didn't hurt that the Suns won!

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Now for some nostalgic fun! Jefferey Alan was born on November 1, 1961 in Fresno, CA. He's the middle of my three brothers and the second-youngest of five kids.

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Awwww! Here he is at 2 weeks old. Wasn't he adorable? And if you like this one, you're going to LOVE this next one . . .

He's starting to look like the Jeff we all know and love now, right? Including that cute little bum that Dana finds so attractive!
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Jeff was always the most easy-going of my brothers, the one who wanted everyone to get along, the one who laughed when he was being spanked.

He was also easily embarrassed by anything that stood out from the norm. When he was about 10 I recall him asking me to sing more quietly in church so no one would hear my alto over the melody!
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Who goosed the baby?! Here we are in February 1962. Left to right: Mary (me) at age 7, Jeff at 3 months old, LeRoy at almost age 3, and Karla at 21 months old.

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I'm pretty sure that's not a real gun Karla is playing with!

Here is my cute, chubby little brother learning to walk when he was just 10 months old. (I have no idea who the boy in the little car is--probably a neighbor kid.)
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And this is Jeff on his first birthday with what appears to be one of my mom's 3-layer German chocolate cakes with coconut-pecan frosting! (Drool!) One of my favorites!

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When he was 3, Jeff broke his foot by jumping off his bed. I remember that he gave up walking altogether and crawled everywhere until the cast came off. This was taken in December 1964.

I can't end without including a picture of "The Boys," as we always referred to them! This was taken in April 1970. They were very into sports. Jeff is in the middle, age 8. On left is Darryl a few weeks before he turned 7, and on right is LeRoy at age 11. As kids, my brothers did almost everything together--for better and for worse--and they're still close buddies today who love to get together for any reason.

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I'm proud of you, little bro! I hope your birthday was as great as you are! Love ya!

Phoenix, Part One: Callie

We had the rare treat this weekend of traveling to Phoenix Children's Hospital to spend 2 days with our sweet Callie Jayne!

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Jeff and Dana's older children had to work over the weekend, so Dana asked if I'd drive the younger kids down to see their baby sister. I've been chomping at the bit to go see Callie myself, so I was quick to clear my busy social calendar (yeah, right) and say, "Sure!"

We loaded the 11 of us into Jeff and Dana's van and headed to the Valley of the Sun (it was 98 degrees when we arrived in Phoenix on Nov. 1st!). Here we are at a rest stop at the bottom of Salt River Canyon.

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From left to right are Marcus, Dylan, Hayden, Jacob, Brinley, Emma, Haley, Elsie, Burke, and Sarah. That's if you can see them in this faded shot!

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Sorry about the poor quality of these pictures. The rechargeable battery in my 1-year-old camera went bad right before the trip. No stores seem to carry my camera's battery, so I grabbed Jacob's camera, which apparently has issues of its own! About half of my pictures didn't turn out.

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As soon as we arrived at the hospital, Callie immediately started grabbing everyone's hands and giving out kisses. As wonderful as she has looked in the photos we've all seen, the pictures did not prepare me for the whirlwind that is Callie!She was a continuous flow of motion, all nonstop movement with no fear!

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All weekend she invited one person after another to walk her around the hospital. She has mastered walking while holding onto two hands. Now she is learning to walk while holding just one hand, which is an important step as she regains her sense of balance. She was pretty unsteady when we arrived Saturday afternoon, but was more sure of herself by the time we left Sunday evening.

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Callie is also increasingly vocal. I was so touched when she said my name for the first time several nights ago on the phone. When Dana said, "Say hi to Aunt Mary," Callie responded, "Hi, May!"

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Her brothers and sisters say she acts exactly the same as she did before the accident. For myself, I see one big difference: she is way more outgoing! She used to be a little quiet around people she didn't know well, but now she is loving that limelight! She likes to make everyone laugh and clap with her when she does something precocious.

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It's impossible to be around her bubbly personality and infectious laugh and not fall in love all over again.
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The surgery to open her eyes has been tentatively postponed until Dec. 1st. The ophthalmologist is pleased with how far she is opening her right eye and says it may not even need the surgery. We're praying she also gets more control over her left eye before then. She really works to see what is going on around her.

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Callie is such a blessing and a miracle!

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I snapped this picture and showed it to Callie. She kept kissing her image on my camera over and over! Her crooked little smile is so beautiful and happy!

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When we drove away last night, Callie was waving wildly from her stroller with both hands. Dylan cast one last glance back and sighed, "I miss Callie already." We all do! But we hope to have her back here on our mountain very soon!

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Stay tuned for part 2 of our Phoenix trip. The day we arrived, Nov. 1st, was also the 47th birthday of Callie's daddy, my brother Jeff. My next blog will feature his birthday celebration. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?