Sweet Valentine Revenge

15 Feb 2014: Shera keeps a lookout for Danielle, 

in case she comes out of the store on break.

After Danielle "heart-attacked" Jacob's car on the night of Valentine's Day, he knew he had to step up or forever acknowledge having been bested in the romance department by his new fiance. So Jacob and his two "partners in crime of passion," Ryan and Shera, sneaked over to Walmart while Danielle was working on Saturday night.

This shot came from Danielle's camera after she discovered Jacob's surprise later that night.

I "borrowed" it from her Facebook page. Whatever did we do before cell phone cameras?

They had a great time decorating her car with belated-Valentine messages. Does anyone doubt that these two, Jacob and Danielle, are crazy about each other?

I see that I need to teach my son the difference between "your" and "you're."

Oh, the woes of being an English teacher's child. But it's the thought that counts!

You may notice that Danielle's car (her mom's car, actually) looks very much like mine.

In a funny coincidence, we both drive red Pontiac Vibes, 

although her model is a year or two newer than mine.

I love the party hat on the antenna. Nice touch!

 I borrowed this shot from Danielle, too. Jacob's picture of the back window was too blurry.

I think we can tell which parts were written by Jacob and which by Shera's fancy hand, 

but every word came straight from Jacob's heart!

Jacob left Danielle this beautiful, romantic card with the car.

The verse inside:

You're the only one I love, the one I'm always thinking of,

The one who will forever be the one and only love for me.

Whatever he wrote inside is unknown to me,

but it made Danielle happy and shall remain between the two of them.

Please don't get the idea that the rest of us ignored Valentines Day. My simple tradition over the years is to buy those cute little $1.00 heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for my children. Since the number of my children and their significant others have increased in recent months, I bought a record number of 7 candy boxes this year!

Like Jacob and Danielle, Ryan and Shera exchanged their gifts on Monday. She gave him a shiny new 2014 fishing license. He gave her a lovely bracelet and a cute purple owl she named "Hoot." Shera is very into owls. Chris cooked Sarah a special dinner, which she tells me was delicious. The rumor is that Sarah's gift to Chris involved some lingerie . . . and I hear he really appreciated it!

It was a little hard to be single for Valentines Day this year. I do miss my husband. (He's not my ex, not yet.) Nonetheless, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by family who care about me. 

On Saturday Sarah came by with a bag full of those little $1 heart-shaped candy boxes for everyone. Everyone except me. Oh, don't be sad. She knows I'm struggling to get back to eating right and losing weight now that the holidays are long past. So she brought me a box of the new Atkins low-carb peanut M&Ms (my favorite candy) and one of my favorite movies, The Time Traveler's Wife. 

She knows how to make me feel loved!

Sweet Valentine Love

Jacob came out of Walmart on his break last night and found a heart-y surprise. His sweetheart Danielle had "heart attacked" his car for Valentines Day. 

He tells me he started to head out of the store at the beginning of his break, but he was distracted by a 5-dollar bill on the ground. He picked it up and handed it to the man who'd dropped it. That man was, coincidentally, Jacob's future father-in-law, Danielle's dad. They paused and chatted for awhile.

Danielle later admitted to Jacob that she'd enlisted her father's assistance as the look-out man so Jacob wouldn't catch her decorating the car. Clever girl!

She also left Jacob a sweet note, which shall remain private. Let's just say I told Jacob of his brand-new fiance, "I think she's a keeper!" And, believe me, he heart-ily agrees!

She Said Yes!

10 Jan 2014: Jacob, Danielle, and Dylan in Jacob's car behind us

when we got stopped 30 minutes for roadwork on our way down the mountain.

Seven of us made the drive down to "The Valley" on Monday, specifically to the towns of Mesa and Gilbert in the Phoenix metro area. Sarah, Jacob, Danielle, Dylan, Ryan, Shera, and I left home at 7:30 that morning and made the 3-hour drive for the purpose of touring the new Mormon temple that was just built in Gilbert, Arizona. We had tickets for the 2:00 tour.

The Ring

Little did Danielle know that my son Jacob had an even greater purpose in mind for this little one-day jaunt to the Valley. Tucked safely away in my purse was a beautiful engagement ring which Jacob hoped his sweet girlfriend would accept when he proposed to her on the grounds of the Gilbert Temple. Originally he'd planned to propose on Valentine's Day, but he and Danielle both work on Friday, so Sarah suggested he ask her to marry him when we toured the temple on the 10th instead. Jacob liked that idea, especially because he knew how much Danielle loves the temple.

Ryan & Shera, Jacob & Danielle, and Sarah on the edge of the highway

leading down into Salt River Canyon, while we wait.

It was a pleasant trip. Everything went smoothly. No car trouble, accidents, flat tires, or illness. Just a very long wait toward the top of Salt River Canyon for some roadwork. Ryan and Shera hadn't been off the mountain since they arrived here from Missouri, so they were excited to see more of Arizona. They were impressed by the striking beauty of Salt River Canyon.

Jacob and Danielle in front of the Christus in the Visitors Center

at the Mesa AZ Temple.

Arriving in Mesa more than half an hour later than planned, we went straight to the Mesa Temple, which was begun in 1922, dedicated in 1927, and remained the only LDS temple in all of Arizona until the Snowflake Temple was dedicated in 2002. Now Arizona has 4 temples.

Danielle and Jacob behind the Visitors Center, with the Mesa Temple behind them.

Since Ryan and Shera were baptized only 3 weeks earlier, we decided to stop by the Visitors Center at the Mesa Temple so they could experience some of the programs and videos there.

Danielle and Jacob on the steps of the Mesa Temple entrance.

From the Mesa Temple, we drove a few blocks to Deseret Bookstore, another LDS place Ryan and Shera had never experienced. Lots of cool stuff there!

Jacob and Danielle exchange their Valentine gifts a few days early.

After we checked out the bookstore, Jacob and Danielle opened their Valentines Day gifts to each other. She gave him a picture of them together in a beautifully personalized frame. He gave her a pair of teddy bears, a pink-jeweled necklace-and-earrings set, and a pretty pink ring (pink is her favorite color). Just a little teaser of things to come?

Shera & Ryan, Jacob & Danielle outside the Gilbert Temple after our tour.

Then we toured the brand new Gilbert Temple. It was amazing. No cameras are allowed inside, but we took lots of pictures on the grounds afterward. I'll post more pictures from the trip in a day or two. 

I almost expected Jacob to propose as we walked through the gorgeous Celestial Room but, no, he made us all wait.

Three stalkers watch for progress from afar: Dylan, Shera, and Sarah.

We walked around the temple grounds for the longest time, waiting for Jacob to slip away with Danielle and pop the question. I had already slipped the ring to him before we even entered the temple, while volunteers were putting white booties over our shoes. We thought we were good to go, so we couldn't figure out what was taking him so long. We kept trying to catch his eye with our best "Get on with it" looks! I'm amazed we didn't give it away.

As Jacob explained later, he'd found the perfect setting for his proposal: exactly where the rest of us were sitting! He was waiting for us to go away, while we were waiting for them to go away! I guess we should have arranged hand signals.

We finally headed out to the parking lot. To our relief, Jacob and Danielle did not follow us. As soon as he realized they'd stayed behind, Dylan headed back to watch the action through the fence around the grounds. We told him to stop being a stalker, but he was determined. He was soon followed by Sarah and Shera, who couldn't contain their curiosity. They couldn't really see what was happening in the distance, but that didn't stop them from trying!

In the end, Jacob asked a stranger to take a picture of him and Danielle (but he whispered to the man that he was going to propose and the cell phone was actually set to record the moment). It turned out that the man was a professional wedding photographer, so afterward he also took some still photos with his good camera and promised to email them to Jacob.

Click here to see a short clip of the proposal: I'm sorry that I can only link you to the video on Facebook, but Jacob's phone won't allow him to send me the file. I also apologize for the sound being too low to hear, but we know Danielle said yes because she let Jacob put the ring on her finger!

When they finally joined us in the parking lot, we were all straining to see if Danielle was wearing the ring. Finally I demanded, "What took you guys so long?" That's when Jacob finally lifted her left hand and flashed her new ring for us! We were all so relieved. You'd think we were more excited and nervous than Jacob was!

Danielle texted family and friends to share the news of their engagement.

Look, you can see the engagement ring on her left hand!

It was about 5:00 when we finally got to the home of my sister Karla, where many of her children gathered to join us for dinner at Mi Amigos. From the restaurant we got back on the freeway headed for home, with a side-trip back to the Gilbert Temple. Danielle, Shera, and Ryan wanted to see the building all lit up at night, as LDS temples always are. More pictures of that visit will be posted later, as well!

Danielle and Jacob in front of the doors to the Gilbert Temple after dark.

And so it was almost 10:00 when we got back on the road, and 1:15 a.m. before we pulled into our own driveway. We were exhausted, but what an exciting and memorable time we all shared in the Valley that day!

Hikers and Lovers

For weeks, I've been bugging my son Jacob to email these pictures to me from his cell phone. Today he finally took care of it!

11 Jan 2014: Ryan, Shera, and Jacob on the Rim Trail

about 6 hours before Ryan and Shera's wedding.

We are so blessed to live in the beauty of eastern Arizona's White Mountains. About a mile from our home is the Rim Trail, a winding path along the edge of the Mogollon Rim, which is a steep escarpment here along the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Since moving here from Missouri, the Rim Trail has become one of Ryan and Shera's favorite places.

On the morning of their wedding, they decided they wanted to take Shera's visiting sister Christine and cousin Sam to experience the incredible view from the trail, and Jacob joined them.

Ryan, Shera, Christine, and Sam on the Mogollon Rim.

You may notice that I've done a few blog posts about various hikes along the Rim Trail over the years. We really love it there. In fact, many of Sarah's senior pictures were shot there in Spring 2008.

29 Jan 2014: Danielle and Jacob take a break while hiking the Rim Trail.

A few weeks later, two couples headed back to the Rim Trail for a romantic getaway: newlyweds Ryan and Shera, and Jacob with his girlfriend Danielle.

Imagine Jacob's surprise when he invited his gal on the date and he learned that Danielle had never been on an actual hike before! Having grown up in a family whose vacations usually involved camping in a tent, fishing, wading in creeks (sometimes with leeches), campfire cooking, rock climbing, close encounters with critters, and lots of hiking, Jacob had never imagined there were families out there who were less outdoorsy. 

Shera and Danielle pose on a boulder.

Danielle was game, though. I think she would try anything for Jacob, and I hear she ended up having a great nature experience and fun with people who care about each other. What could be better than that?

Gifts that Keep Giving

I've never received a gift I didn't love. How can you not love something that comes from a giver you adore? And some gifts go on to bring joy for many years to come. Here are a few of those long-lasting gifts I received for Christmas 2013. Was that really only 6 weeks ago?

Ryan and Shera gave me the "Family Rules" canvas, which I couldn't wait to put up as soon as the Christmas decorations came down. It expresses beautifully what I believe about families!

The round wood-mosaic hanging on the wall below it was actually a gift Jacob sent us from his mission in Northern California for Christmas 2012. It's one of my favorites!

This year Jacob bought me a purse, which was badly needed since my old one was falling apart at the seams. He apparently knows what I like, since this one is identical to my old one, other than the fabric color and the pocket design on the front! He also got me speakers for my computer, which will provide long-term pleasure, too. We just haven't hooked them up yet . . .

The bottom poster was a gift from Dylan (and the top poster was actually a gift from last Christmas 2012), and it went up on the board in my classroom on the first day back after Christmas break. The only novel we tackle in my English Writing class each year is The Hobbit, one of my all-time favorite books, so the posters are perfect!

And the gift that gets the most daily use is this set of silverware from Sarah. So nice to have a 16-piece matching set of utensils again! The years of raising a family always seem to take a toll on the family's tableware.

My old silverware is going to Ryan and Shera, for when they're able to get their own place again. Before it all goes, though, I wanted to remember the various sets of tableware our family has used over the years:

The set above was the very first I ever bought, long before I got married, to go into my hope chest. That's right, the one I used to lovingly refer to as my "Hopeless Chest." I thought it was very elegant and, in the end, it did serve us well for many years.

As the original set began to mysteriously disappear, piece by piece over the years, Mark and I purchased these cheap wooden-handled utensils so we wouldn't have to wash silverware for every meal. They didn't last long, bending and breaking, but they got us through for awhile. I think we had them during the years when the kids liked to go outside and dig in the dirt with whatever silverware was handy. 

This was our next set, and my favorite. They were heavy and lasted longer than their predecessors. Even so, eventually the fork taken to work by the hubby, the knife dropped in the yard by the son, the spoon left in the car by the little girl, and the spoon abandoned at school by yours truly, took its toll on the collection. Which brought my silverware drawer to the state in which my daughter discovered my need for new tableware.

Last of all, the mysterious collection of silverware gathered from unknown sources over 24 years of family life. I have no idea where any of these forks, spoons, and knives came from. If anything here looks familiar to you, call me.

Food, Friends, Football, Food, Fun, and Food

And did I mention there was food?

I've never hosted a Super Bowl party before. Never. I'm not into sports at all. Oh, I occasionally enjoy watching some figure skating and gymnastics, but organized manly-man sports? No, thank you.

Sarah gets into her dessert!

So I've always sent my former husbands off to celebrate the Big Game with their friends, where the testosterone could flow freely. And I'd spend a quiet evening at home.

Shera takes a dainty bite.

For my new daughter-in-law, Shera, though, she'll take any excuse to throw a party, especially one with food. Lots of food.

Danielle gets into the spirit!

So we ended up with a house full of 10 people and had a great time. Although Jacob had to work both of his jobs today, even he was able to come home for 30 minutes between jobs and snuggle briefly during the game with his girlfriend.

The ladies: Shera and Danielle in front, with Sarah in back.

None of us ladies care much about football. For us, it was a time to enjoy friends and family and food. We also liked watching the new commercials, and the half-time show was actually pretty good this year. Simplified, compared to most technologically nightmarish years of the past. 

Ryan, Kyle, Marcus, and Mary relax in front of the TV.

Most of the guys had high hopes for the Denver Broncos to win. They had a bad night. I won't mention who I was cheering for, but I will say that I was usually the only one in the room pumping my fist in the air and shouting, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The rest of the gang: Ryan, Dylan, and Brandon.

My son-in-law Chris had to work, but I'm sure he's walking on air since his favored team, the Seattle Seahawks, won the game by a wide margin.

Shera outdid herself (with some help from Ryan) on a variety of game foods. She spent hours in the kitchen. There was so much food that we were all uncomfortably stuffed, yet there was still tons of food left.

Dylan, Ryan, Danielle, and Brandon enjoy the feast.

(Ryan was trying to, er, dissuade Dylan from eating too many the chips.

I'm sure he was only concerned for Dylan's welfare, not his own share of the food!)

We measured Dylan tonight. He's now 6'3"!

We had chicken strips with barbecue sauce or ranch dressing, 

as well as Shera's famous homemade onion rings . . .

. . . and baked potato skins with cheese, ham, and green onion . . .

. . . and tortilla chips with . . .

. . . Shera's homemade Ro-tel/Velveeta cheese dip with chunks of chicken . . .

. . . and a chocolate-cherry dump cake topped with chopped almonds for dessert!

I still don't care for football, but I find I really do like a good Super Bowl party!

The Sweetest Gift

I found the nicest surprise while I was getting ready for work this morning. I was looking in my jewelry box to choose earrings for today, when I noticed a little white box on the dresser, open, with a pair of teardrop-amethyst earrings inside. I wondered if Shera had left them there, or maybe Jacob had gotten them for his girlfriend. Then I saw the note under the box.

I picked up the note and started reading, and soon tears were pouring down my face. I had to fix my makeup before I could leave for work!

You see, the other day I was concerned about a situation Jacob had chosen to be part of. Nothing terrible, but as a mom who envisions all the horrible things that might happen, I gave him the dreaded, guilt-provoking "It's your decision but..." lecture that makes all adult children cringe. "Oh, be wise, my son," I quoted. In the end, he decided to take himself out of the situation.

The next morning I felt like I'd come on a little too strong. I felt bad about it, so before I went to work I left Jacob a note. I told him that I love his good heart and his trusting spirit, and I am so proud of the man he is becoming. Then I reminded him that, as human beings, we all have weaknesses that will be tried if we place ourselves in situations Satan can use against us. I do trust you, I said, but I know personally how it feels to carry the burden of regret for most of a lifetime. I don't want that for my children. 

Jacob is not one who enjoys putting pen to paper, but this note was a full page, closely written, and every word touched my heart. I will share only the beginning here, but his entire message was deeply endearing.

After I read it, I went in and woke him up to give him a hug. I told him he doesn't need to give me presents, but I do love the earrings. I will treasure them always, but even more so I will cherish his letter forever. The earrings were a sweet gift. His message was even sweeter.

But the sweetest gift of all is the privilege of having three amazing children who call me "Mom."