On the road

Not that I've been doing much blogging lately. But I thought I should announce the more official sabbatical I will be taking from the internet for the next week and a half. Cori's Mom, Step-dad, Grandma and Grandpa are coming to visit. We're all going to stay in a much bigger place on a nearby lake. It is paradise there and I'm really looking forward to it. But there is nary an internet connection to be found.

I've been working (read: After days of my complaining without doing anything about the situation, Cori finally got the external hard drive hooked up to my laptop) on getting all my other files onto this laptop. The process isn't going to be as simple as I hoped. Little Bessy is such an antique. I hope to be back in business after our little vacation. Some posts to look forward to:

• Grant's first birthday
• My mom's visit revisited (complete with some pictures and a funny story involving mom, the Grand Hotel, an herb garden, and hotel security)
• Lots of pictures of our even more 'up North' holiday (fyi, in Michigan, you live and travel either up North or down state. We currently live pretty northward and will be staying at a place that is almost at the tip of the mitt. If you followed all that, you are officially a Michigander).

Abientot!

RIP

Or:

• why I'm not blogging much lately
• the crimp in my internet social life
• I'm so tempted to take the money claimed from my recent fender bender straight to the nearest Apple store

Our old work horse of a lap top finally died last week. It lived a good long life. It had been giving signs of its demise for a while, and we had been backing it up onto an external hard drive. I am left with my even older laptop. She still gets the job done. But I'm confined to the corner of our basement where our router is because she isn't wireless. And I haven't accessed the pictures and stuff on the external hard drive because I've been too lazy to get it all set up on this computer.

A little part of me had been hoping for this day to come as it would expedite the purchase of a new computer. I want an iMac so badly I can taste it. But as fate would have it, our fun cash stash is currently all spoken for with a family vacation, 3 birthdays, Christmas, and some car repairs (our deductible) shining on the proximate horizon. Ah well.

So long, trusty HP. May you rest in peace.

Blessings

Victory! Gracie has left her diapers behind. She has been accident free for nearly 5 days running.

My Grandma Bettie who celebrated a birthday this week.

One full year in Michigan. Can it be a year already? The weather and scenery outside are bringing to mind so many lovely memories of what our little family was up to a year ago. Grant's birthday is just around the corner.

I love

Eccentrically Fanatic People Maybe it is because I am so un-fanatic that I find people who fanatically love things so intensely interesting. When I was in my teen years, it seemed everyone had a favorite everything. Favorite color, favorite shoes, favorite music, favorite clothing store, favorite food, favorite friend, favorite movie, favorite style, favorite show, favorite time of day... I wanted to have set-in-stone opinions about all of these things too. It seemed to create an identity that I wanted to have. The only problem was I had a hard time really committing to any one thing. I loved so many different kinds of everything. I'm the same way today. I have very few favorites to mention. Maybe you could say that variety is my favorite.

In any case, I am drawn to people who are oddly obsessed with things. I love going to places where these kinds of people gather in droves. I'm always game for a parade, a sporting event or any kind of fair for this reason. This has translated into some interesting adventures for our family.

Not long ago, there was a Renaissance Fair(e) held at a place called Castle Farms. The main building is very castle-esque and made for a great medieval setting. There was no shortage of eccentrically fanatic people. That there would be many such people actually working the fair was a given. But that so many of those attending would be equally... accessorized was highly entertaining. As were the rows of vendors selling weaponry, velvet scrunchies and pewter necklace pendants of a dragons' claws clutching iridescent marbles. For those of you who have never attended a Renaissance fair, these commodities are inseparable from the event. Does my knowledge of this fact make me eccentric? Here are some shots from our afternoon there.

The queen presiding over a jousting match

The knights all pledging their allegiance and saluting the queen

The jester entertaining the crowd

Conspicuously normal looking visiting royalty

Remembering

I served as a missionary for my Church in Washington DC. Before missionaries get sent out into the world, they spend some time in a Missionary Training Center (MTC). While in the MTC, missionaries have very little contact with the world as all their focus is to be on Gospel learning. I was tucked away in this wonderful place on September 11, 2001. Though we heard the news we were very insulated from the events that happened that day.

If I had been assigned to go just about anywhere else in the world, I think the isolation would have been a good thing. But all the missionaries in our district (kind of like a little class) were going to DC or NYC. My first few days laboring in DC were overwhelming. I wasn't prepared for the wake that 9/11 left. My first area was Crystal City, which encompasses the Pentagon and Pentagon City. My first night there, we attended a funeral service for a member who had been literally lost in the Pentagon. Everyone we spoke to was devastatingly effected by the intrusion and the destruction of the attack. People were afraid, up heaved, and searching for peace and answers. I can hardly imagine what it was like in New York.

It was a very special time to be a missionary. People wanted to talk about spiritual things. They wanted a sense of the bigger picture. I was very grateful to be a messenger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at that time and place.

Excerpts from my journal:

September 11, 2001
Tragedy today. At 6:45 AM our time, a passenger loaded plane leaving from Boston was hijacked and then used as a weapon on the World Trade Center on Manhattan Island. 15 minutes later, another plane –passenger- was flown into the building. A similar attack took place on the South wing of the Pentagon. And another plane crashed prematurely somewhere near Pittsburgh PN, perhaps on its way to Camp David. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost in this terrorist attack. The world trade center is rubble and the Pentagon badly damaged. Within 10 minutes of the first attack, all flights were being grounded. Transcontinental flights were being re-routed Northward through Canada until decided to ground their planes as well. They won’t start sending flights until at least 12 PM tomorrow afternoon.

All the missionaries who were sent out this morning are being called back to the MTC. All the rest of us who were to be leaving today or tomorrow have been asked to wait until further notice.

September 12, 2001
We found out that the Elders from our district- who were on their way to NYC- were grounded in Denver. They were picked up by the Denver CO North mission and are proselyting there until they can get to their mission home. It is so amazing to me that Sister Griffiths and I were in the same district with these Elders because their mission encompasses the twin towers and the Pentagon is in our mission. The people in these areas are being prepared for the Gospel. It has been so humbling to realize how these events are affecting the people we will be teaching.

Its been weird having this happen while we have been in the MTC as well because we are supposed to be so far out of the world. No TV, no news, no papers. Everything we hear is a little tid-bit here and there from teachers and cafeteria workers.

Yesterday, just a few hours after this happened, President Wirthlin [the MTC President at the time] got on the overcome to make an announcement. He gave us the general information and then shared a scripture:
2 Nephi 6:13 Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah.

Later that night in the MTC devotional, he bore testimony that the true strength of America is in her people’s righteousness and faith in Jesus Christ. These terrorists destroyed only physical symbols.

Matthew 24:6 – Wars and rumors of wars… Do not fear or be troubled. These things must come to pass.
Doctrine and Covenants 87, last verse – Stand ye in holy places and be not moved!

"Sometimes, I just miss my daddy."

Around the block: September '08

Autumn is just beginning to change our landscape. I didn't want the summer to slip away without catching some of it in our photo archives. I have loved seeing the harvest seasons in all our surrounding fields. The hills are a patchwork quilt of trees and alfalfa and corn fields. Soon we'll have a rainbow of fall color. I love this time of year.

Lucky cows.

Lake Michigan from the top of the hill where we live.

This rather reminds me of a Rothko color field.

So quaint.

Blessings

Sunset Park, Petoskey

Change It is sad to say good bye to our paradisaical summer season. But the change of every season is so energizing to me. The chilly wind has put a zing in my step. Truly, I love Autumn. The colors, the food, the clothes, the beginning of the school year, the beginning of the holiday season... This time of year is so exciting to me.

My Big Girl I know I will probably look back at this stage of my life sometime and think "Why was I in such a hurry for her to grow up?" I just really don't want to be buying diapers for her anymore. With Grant's birthday around the corner, I could very shortly be crossing both formula and Gracie's diapers from my shopping list every week. For now, I'm very grateful for our Gracie girl who didn't get discouraged once yesterday even though she had some accidents. "Its okay. Better next time." This was her attitude.

Being Connected The internet has recently reunited me with some great people. Sheila, the mom of my high school buddy Kate, caught up with me this week. I was completely thrilled to hear from her. I'm terrible about keeping in touch through undigital means. I'm very thankful for the internet that keeps me connected with old friends and new.

a completely wonderful day

Why today was a super great day:

• I played opossum in bed while Cori made breakfast. Then I relaxed while he made me a sandwich for lunch. And I messed around on the computer while he made dinner. Then he cleaned up the kitchen while I gave the kids a bath before bed. A whole day without work in the kitchen.

• Cori got to watch the BYU football game. On our TV. Live. It was an exciting game at the end with a semi-controversial call that the commentators are still talking about. Cori went totally crazy. Our kids had no idea what to think about their possessed father. It made me very happy to see him so very happy (crazed).
  
  
• Gracie used her potty chair twice. She had a few accidents. But she is doing well. She has also accepted the idea of wearing underpants. Commando no more, hallelujah.

• I got to spend a bit of my afternoon taking pictures of this cute family. Lillian and I became fast friends when we moved here. Her husband is a dentist and they were in need of a new picture for their phonebook ad. Don't they have beautiful kids?

Potty Training Update

So my original plans for Gracie's diaperless day changed as soon as she woke up. I needed to make a trip to the post office, our township offices, and the location of a little photo shoot I'm doing with Lil's family tomorrow (hurray, Lil!). The princess panties stayed in the drawer until after her nap.

It was around 3 when I took a deep breath and took her diaper off. She had a complete meltdown when I tried to put the panties on her. She will not wear them and she won't tell me why. Thanks to Melissa's suggestion (thank you!) I proposed to Grace that she go bare bummed for a while. She wanted to wear her pants which was fine with me. So she spent the afternoon with out a diaper or underwear. And she was very happy about it.

She didn't have any accidents. But she didn't use the potty either. I asked her every 3 minutes if she needed to go potty, and she smiled and said, "Not yet mommy!" every time. She went 3 1/2 hours without any action. Cori and I wanted to take the kids and do something with our Friday night so we diapered her up. She was wet when we got home.

We'll start again tomorrow when she wakes up. She seemed positive about the whole thing tonight when we talked with her about it. Thanks for your encouragement and advice everyone!

Et Ceteras

Fall came yesterday. Just like that. We had enjoyed precisely 3 days of Indian Summer weather. The steamy 80 degree days and warm nights were supposed to last a bit longer. Yesterday evening there was a little bit of crispness in the breeze. This morning we woke to drizzly grey chilliness. Sigh. Hopefully the temperature change will encourage the leaves to turn more quickly. Cori's mom, step-dad, and grandparents are coming in a couple weeks and we'd love for them to see Northern Michigan in her Autumn splendor.

I got my teeth cleaned today. The dental hygienist was commiserating with me about Gracie's lack of interest in potty training. She said that with her little boy, she finally just told him that she wasn't going to buy any more diapers or pull ups for him. I'm thinking about taking this approach. When I ask Grace to use her potty she'll usually reply, "That's okay. You can just change my diaper." Tonight I told her that she wasn't going to wear diapers tomorrow. She seemed pretty positive about it. Wish us luck.

College football kicked off last weekend. We had a little party for the Michigan game. Sadly, our satellite service wasn't up yet, so Cori didn't get to watch the BYU game. He listened to it on KSL.com and then watched the rerun on Monday once the dish was up. Cori is such a passionate fan. I'm really glad that he'll get to watch more of the games this year. Here is Grace dressed up for our party. The cougar hair bows look pretty good with that Michigan getup, don't you think?

Dear Journal

As I was getting Gracie ready for bed the other night, she asked me, "So, mom. How's your work?" This is not an unusual question for her to ask. She asks Cori about his work regularly. The missionaries got a kick when she asked them about 'the work'. It was the first time she had posed the question to me. But I was curious as to her perception of what my work is.

"My work is great. What do you think mommy does for work?"

Without missing a beat her response was, "Wash my feet, and play golf with daddy."

This was really funny to me at first. Surely, this couldn't be what she thinks I do all the time. Was this some little window into her young psyche? Should I be happy that this is how she perceives me?

I think I'd be pretty okay with the answers to either of those questions. Maybe she sees my sole purpose in life as being to serve her. This is fractionally true. I hope she can feel that. And that she sees part of my job as being happy with Cori makes me very happy. I would love for all her memories and impressions of her parents to be so positive.

Of course, her response could have been an indication that she feels creatively squelched by my love for routine and cleanliness. But she's a bit more obsessed with her routines than I am. Or it could be her impression that I feel a part of a mom's job is to leave her children with babysitters to go play away from the house... But she likes to call her babysitters on her pretend phone and will ask me to leave the room so she can speak with them privately. I get the feeling that she doesn't mind my occasional absence.

It is no revelation that kids are highly impressionable. As I have thought about this little dialogue that truth has stayed at the front of my mind. I recently read that 3 is the new 2 and I can believe it. I handle it pretty well throughout the day. But around bedtime it often happens that my patience with her runs razor thin. It has really helped me to realize how much my actions and interactions get noticed by my little girl. The things I do and say are shaping how she sees herself and her environment. I hope that I can ask Grace this question again in 5 or 10 or 15 years and get a similar answer.

With my mom

I took my mom to the airport this morning. This makes me very sad. We had such a great visit, and the time always goes too fast.

Early on in her stay, we made a day trip to Mackinac Island. We got to see a little bit of everything; the State Park, the Fort, the butterfly conservatory, and the Victorian houses. We ate lunch at the Tea Room beneath one of these vibrant yellow umbrellas.
Both of the kids have a birthday coming up. We spent an afternoon out shopping (only after I backed our car into the Direct TV service van that was parked in our driveway. I'm still so mad at myself) and have gifts tucked away in my room for the coming festivities. We picked up a few things for me too. It's nice to live like your mom's teenager again, if only for an afternoon.

We also spent an afternoon at the fabric store picking out patterns and fabric and stuffs for Halloween costumes. I then promptly set up a sweat shop in our basement where my mom worked tirelessly until just last night. I helped, a little. It was a lot of fun actually. We hung out in the cool of the basement playing with the kids, watching old movies, keeping our hands busy, and chatting.

I really can't believe how quickly the 10 days flew by. When are you coming back, Mom?