Nobody told me.....

life was fair.......

don't you hate it when

You realize you are really pretty much powerless, and the only thing you can control is yourself and your attitude and maybe the remote to the tv?

I was just wondering if I'm the only one. Probably.

My little naughty dog Henry

Ok, I just have to share this: Henry has started his food storage program! I was cleaning the crate this afternoon, and discovered 3 partial "chewies" stashed outside the crate close to his cushion. I know it's Henry because he does not like to share his chewies with Lola and he stashes them everywhere in the living room. Sometimes he stashes them in my backpack and I find them when I am at work. Sometimes he stashes them in the basket of clothes I am preparing to fold.

But whatever you might say about Henry, he is a good little Mormon dog and has his very own food storage going on. I didn't know he knew about these things. Never underestimate little naughty dogs.

A lesson learned

As I watched and waited to hear that my child would be ok, I realized what an incomprehensible act it was that Heavenly Father performed when He sent His son to earth. I have been struggling with being powerless regarding my daughter's health, and I cannot describe the sheer fear I felt and continue to feel from time to time.

How did Heavenly Father find the love and the strength to send the Savior to earth, especially when He knew how everything would turn out? How did He refrain from rescuing His son when Jesus was in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane or how could He allow Jesus to endure the the unthinkable torture and death and not strike back?

Truly, I realize that Heavenly Father loves us--REALLY LOVES US--to follow through with His plan. These last few days have given me a minuscule taste of what the Father must have gone through. I really need to be mindful of the amazing gift the Atonement is. I often think of how Jesus suffered but this past week I have a new appreciation for the suffering of my Heavenly Father.

I am also learning what it means to cry unto the Lord. There is nothing else I can do. It is so hard to say "Your will not mine" but I am getting close to meaning that. I am not there yet.

Looking back at my adventures in Utah

I had grand plans to regale everyone (all 5 of you who read my blog lol) with tales from my vacation. That did not happen as we see. When I got back home I got some news that sort of spun my head around. That news is still too fresh to write about it, and I am praying that all will be well in that department. I refuse to consider any alternatives.

So, about my vacation. I had a great time! My wonderful friends and I wandered all over Temple Square for 8-10 hours and I saw so many cool things. Our first stop was at the Salt Lake Temple and it is beautiful. We attended a session, and that was a tremendous start to the week. I am amazed at how the pioneers were able to design and build such a magnificent structure. And all the hand crafted elements. I could go on and on about the Temple, but I will spare us all. I have this thing about being in or on the grounds of a temple that just makes me not want to leave ever. Like how you feel when you come home.

Isn't this a pretty good picture taken with my little Sony something or other? What a pretty blue sky! It was a bit warm for my liking, but mercifully, most of the buildings were air conditioned. My friends, who just happened to the lovely and talented and long suffering missionaries that worked with me in Long Beach, showed me so many things, and I loved the day. I saw and learned so much I am still processing the experience.

I am so irritated. It has been so long since I uploaded pictures to my blog, I have forgotten how to do it so my photos show up in the proper order. So please bear with me.

The top photo is of "my" missionaries, the Andreasons. I just love them. What else is there to say? Except they deserve most of the credit for bringing me to the church. They are wonderful people!

The second photo is of the temple. I took over a hundred pictures that day. You will be greatly relieved, I'm sure, to learn that I have no plans to post them all in this post. I will spread them throughout the next two...NOT....

So, Tuesday we went to Provo to attend our first day of Education Week. Wow!! The campus is beautiful. And big. Very very big. I am so thankful for the vans they provided to transport older& handicapped people between locations. They sure saved my bacon! I was still stabilizing on my plethora of medications to manage the asthma I never knew I had until the week before my vacation (another very boring story so we won't go there)

I think I will review my notes from the many classes I attended before I share about those experiences. I taught the Relief Society lesson the day after I got back from my vacation, and I managed to slip a few stories from Education Week into my lesson. They were appropriate to the content, honest! And I think it made the discussion just a bit better.

I could write much more, and I probably will another time, but I am getting typists cramps in my fingers. OK, that really isn't true. I will close with a parting observation:

You can find the very best ice cream and cheese bites at the BYU Creamery. I'm just sayin'....

vet visit for the little naughty dogs

The little naughty dogs sense something is up.....they don't know it yet, but we are going to see Dr. Jackson for a review of vaccinations and what is needed before I take them to the Hillrose Pet Resort. Or is it the Rose Hill Pet Resort? I can never remember for sure. While mom is away the naughty dogs will be vacationing at the resort. I hope they forgive me.

Where does the time go?

I am on vacation--a well deserved vacation I might add. Today was my last day at that place that must not be named. When I return to work after my vacation, I will get to stay at my "home" branch, in my own cozy little office which I am going to paint blue when I get back. No more splitting my time between two branches. I will be settling back in to the job that I love, and resume working with my clients and when winter quarter comes around, I am hoping to be taking a class or two to ease back in to the college thing.....but I get ahead of myself.

I am going to Salt Lake City and then on to Provo for BYU Education Week. I get to spend time with the senior missionary couple who lured me into the church **smile** I am meeting them there and we will go sightseeing--I can't wait to see the Salt Lake City temple in person. Whee! A week with no thoughts about addiction, recovery or treatment. OK, I might have passing thoughts, but I will have so many other amazing things to think about.

I think it is very cool that I get to see the talks I always watch on BYUB.com (OK, not the exact same talks, but close) I hope I act like a grown up and not some star-struck adolescent groupie. Would it be bad form to request my favorite past talk from Mary Ellen Edmunds? Or S. Michael Wilcox? Or Brad Wilcox? Or Sheri Dew? Or Camille Fronk Olsen? There's more but I am running out of gas here.

Oh yeah, I have created another facebook page which I am using to stay in touch with my daughters & their families, and a limited number of others. Last time I tried facebook, I wasn't discriminating enough and some of the people that I agreed to be friends with were not behaving in a "G" rated way, so I canceled that page. Let's see how this will work this time. To be honest I am usually pretty overwhelmed and can't figure out all of the things that are going on at one time......It is much easier to maintain control of my blog....it doesn't move nearly as fast as facebook does.