week in St. George

We spent four great days in St. George last week while Rick attended a conference. We've gone there for these conferences most years through the last 25. It's always nice to head to warmer weather after a long Utah winter. Last week was no exception. While Rick attended his meetings I got busy on several of my own projects. Last year I took my sewing machine and made a quilt for Dave and Courtney.

This year I took down ALL 25 of our family photo albums and continued the long process of labeling the photos and putting them in chronological order. I've been in the habit of taking lots of pictures through the years and I've been pretty good at getting them developed and then putting the photos in books. Some pictures have been taken out of those book for various reasons and not put back. I spent hours getting all the books labeled and numbered and getting the photos put back in the right places. In the process I made a "key" of all of the photos by event. It was so fun to see many of those photos again. They made me cry more than once just recalling those wonderful memories. I have a TON of family pictures, seriously 1000s of our family, extended family, friends and important events. If you ever came near me over the last 30 years, I probably have a picture of it. Some of the pictures are priceless. I told my kids that if the house were to ever catch on fire, that they were to grab the family photo albums before fleeing the house. Some of you may want to peruse my "key" sometime and see if you would like copies of some of the pictures I have in the books. Now that I have a scanner, sharing pictures and preserving them is even easier. Smile!

Paying tribute to Susan

In memory of Susan.



Things I'll always remember about Susan:
~ she was a dream to work with in planning the wedding details of our kids wedding. She was funny, generous in every way and very accommodating.
~ she knew the difference between the small stuff and the big stuff and she didn't sweat the small stuff in any situation
~ she would call and usually begin the conversation with "Susan .... here" and cut right to the chase.
~we got to visit their home and spend the night, enjoying one of her home cooked meals
~she was a very practical woman who understood what really matters in life
~she worked tirelessly to find a good apartment for R and Claire when they started out in their first home and really tried to find something they would enjoy
~she could tell more interesting life stories than most people and many of them were very, very
funny
~she was a friend to all, a woman without guile who lived a Christ-like life
~we enjoyed going to Yellowstone with their family in 2005. It was a great time to get better acquainted and enjoy our children together. She was very gracious and fun to be around.
~I enjoyed doing a few errands and sending needed items to them in Japan when they were on their mission
~we had a good time sharing the college graduation celebrations of our children together with a meal at our home after wards
~after they returned from their mission and Susan was diagnosed with cancer, I enjoy stopping by their home on the way home from work many afternoons and chatting with her. She loved old movies and it was always fun to talk about good movies we have enjoyed over the years
~we always talked about each of our children, what they were doing and how things were going for them. She was genuinely interested in our children and their activities and she always asked about Elder Andy in Mongolia.
~she served in the Primary organization for about 100 years and was the ward secretary at the time of her death. Children loved her. That is a pretty good measure of a person.
~she has a wonderful husband. She and Richard were such a great team. He took such loving care of her in her failing health. They are truly an example to us all of how to endure well to the end, and he helped her every step of the way. Actions do speak louder than words.
~remember watching Willy Wonka on New Year's eve together? I don't think we'll ever live that evening down. It was fun to welcome in the New Year with our shared children.
~Susan loved flowers and it was a pleasure to take her several bouquets and visit
~Susan and Richard raised five amazing children. All well mannered, well adjusted and very enjoyable to be around. All served LDS missions and graduated from college. They're making their way in the world, due in large measure to the influence of their good parents.
~enjoyed spending this last Christmas Eve with Susan and her family. It was a long evening for her, but she was a trooper and keep that trademark smile on her face.
~I'll be forever grateful for a good woman who raised a righteous and good son to be the husband of our daughter. Her legacy truly lives on in her children and grandchildren. We love you dear Susan and we'll miss you.

Happy 27th Birthday (2 days early) Mary Claire!!!

On March 26, 1982 a bundle of joy came into our lives. Mary (named after her Grandma Mary) Claire was born and we were so excited to have another little girl in our family. Claire was the best baby. Seriously, she never cried. She was a little thing and only weight 6 lbs. 12 oz. She had dark hair and HUGE eyes. She and Jordan became fast friends and played together hour after hour.

When Claire was very little the doctor could see that her feet were turning in and that she would be pigeon toed. He put her in little corrective shoes with a bar that turned her feet out so the problem could be corrected. It seemed to work.

Once Claire began to crawl, she became an all terrain vehicle. She would crawl through, under, over and in everything in her path. She crawled up on top of a table and feel off, cutting her lower lip. She had to have five or six stitches to repair the damage.

Claire attended Joy School taught by her mother and other mothers in the neighborhood. She was a very quick study and learned things easily. She loved books right off the bat. She won many reading contests in elementary school. How many parents to do you know of who have to tell their child “put down that book and go outside and play, stop reading?” Yeah, I know. None.

Claire attended elementary school nearby and walked to school for K-4 and grades 10-12.
Claire was always a picky eater and like what she liked. She always wanted to have a “cold lunch” because she didn’t like the food served at school.
Claire took to balls and sports like no other. She can throw a football further than most boys, even now. She played sports in grade school and became a good little soft ball player. She has many trophies of their soft ball triumphs. She made many good friends playing sports throughout her school years.

Here are a few other facts about Claire:

• Claire use to share her testimony in church. One time she said that she was thankful for the prophet, President Regan. The people all thought that was so cute and they laughed. She didn’t return to the pulpit for 12 years.
  
• Claire attended the Accelerated Learning Lab at Cherry Hill school grades 5-6. Her teacher was Mrs. Crandall. She loved Mrs. Crandall and all her friends at Cherry Hill. She cried her eyes out the last day of school. It was pretty shocking to all of us, since we hadn’t seen her cry for years. I don’t think she cried again for many more years, until she had to say goodbye to Jordan when Jord left on her mission and then again when she graduated and left BYU. She loved attending BYU and was so sad for that chapter of her life to be over.
  
• She attended Junior High and rode the bus to school for three years. She excelled academically. She was on the student council in 9th grade and was on the Tech Crew. They ran the audio/visual booth in the auditorium. She has many good stories to tell from that adventure.
  
• Claire played basketball in 9th grade and later she played tennis in high school. She threw the javelin in track and once again distinguished herself for her throwing ability.
  
• was the high school Sterling Scholar in technology & architecture. She had plans to become an architect. She would often draw elaborate floor plans of many imaginary places and also our homes. In fact, Claire would sit in church and draw floor plans. She would also keep track in a note book a list of names of people who shared their testimonies on fast Sunday. She would time how many minutes they took and write it down in her notebook. If they cried, she would put tear drops by their name. If they cried a lot, she would put a river or a lake by their name. Claire is a funny, funny girl.
  
• She earned her Young Womanhood recognition award.
  
• She has had her own subscription to Sport Illustrated since she was about nine years old. She still reads it cover to cover every week.
  
• She hated piano lessons and after a few years said to me: “I’m not going to play the piano anymore and you can’t make me." She was right! It was the only time she wouldn't cooperate.
  
• Claire wasn’t too interested in “liking” boys, yet three of her best friends were boys. Brad, Lyndon and Kent were some of her best friends. She went to a few school dances, but she mostly didn’t like all the dressing up, makeup and eating fancy food at restaurants that made up a successful date experience.
  
• Claire graduated from high school with a 4.0. She received the Robert C. Byrd scholarship and a four year BYU scholarship. She maintained her scholarships all through her college experience. She was one of the HS valedictorians and gave a talk at graduation at the Marriott Center on BYU campus. We were proud of Claire for her academic accomplishments.
  
• Claire worked at Timp Bookstore and had some great adventures there. She was helpful in catching one of the adult female clerks who was stealing the store blind. She made some of her own money to finance her own adventures.
  
• Claire went to girls camp every year to Camp Shalom. She hated the dirt and cold showers, but she had a good time with her many ward friends – Kati, Katie, Trisha, Crystal, Jana, Becky, to name a few.
  
• Claire lived at Heritage Halls her freshman year. She knew she was in trouble when she went to her assigned room and saw that her roommate (a stranger) had Star Wars posters on her wall. She changed roommates and eventually ended up with a great group of friends who she meet in London on her semester of Study Abroad. That experience kind of changed everything for Claire and set her on a path with many great friends who she still refers to as her London girls. Claire can read maps like no other and traveling is one of her favorite things to do.
  
• Claire worked at the Museum of Art as a security guard her entire time at BYU. She loved working there and met some fun people. Her experience of being strayed with pepper spray for training is a classic.
  
• Claire got brainwashed at an early age to love BYU football, indeed, all BYU sports. She remains a true fan today.
  
• Claire did a lot of babysitting when she was growing up. She is very good with little kids. She coached a little girl’s softball team. She started babysitting for the Lindleys. Not only did she make good money, but they took her along as a nanny on a family trip to Hawaii when she was in junior high school. Score! Claire also went to Shanghai, China to tend the 8 Lindley kids for a week while she was in college.
  
• Claire decided in a major in accounting with a minor in English. She graduated from BYU with a very high GPA and she and Jordan walked at the same commencement, along with R. She is a fabulous writer.
  
• She met R in the library at BYU where he worked. He had his eye on her for some time. He even tried to get her to talk to him by leaving a $5 bill by her locker. When she picked it up, she just returned it to him and told him that someone had lost it near her locker. He was hoping that the “lost” bill would initiate conversation. Wrong. They did finally engage in conversation some time later when Claire asked R for help finding a reference. Their first date followed shortly thereafter.
  
• Claire had a plan for her life. She wasn’t so sure that marriage was in the plan at the point when it presented itself. She had to wrestle with that decision. She had plans for graduate school, a mission and then marriage. That just shows that you can’t always follow an exact plan when something better comes along. That something better was R.
  
• Claire graduated from college and got engaged a few weeks later. She promptly went off on an internship with KPMG in Washington DC for the rest of the summer. Her fiancée R went back east to work and live with his sister in Virginia. They had great weekend adventures while living in the east. She returned to Utah four days before her wedding. She had her bridal pictures taken, bridal showers, temple experiences and family parties all in those few days before getting married and then promptly moved out of state afterward. It was a whirlwind time for all concerned (especially her mother)
  
• She got a job at a good accounting firm and started in the work a day world. She moved to a ward where she had great new friends and got accustomed to her hew home state and surroundings. R is a wonderful husband and they have had a great time helping each other, traveling, enjoying their common interests playing tennis, watching sports, reading, etc. etc.
  

Happy Birthday dear Claire. Your parents love you!!!
You can see her blog here www.wowclaire.blogspot.com

Claire's Sunday dinner

We celebrated Claire's upcoming 27th birthday on Sunday while she and R were in town. The menu was:
Spinach salad with strawberries & poppy seed dressing
Baked asparagus
Lion House rolls with freezer raspberry jam
Chicken Chalupas
Fresh strawberry refrigerator dessert

(recipes available upon request)
PS - Dave and Courtney attended as well. They just got there a little late and missed being in the video.

Oatmeal toffee cookies

Today I made a huge batch of these oatmeal toffee cookies. They say "comfort food" to me in a big way. They are a favorite of my daughter Claire who just happens to be in town for a few days with her husband R to visit his mother who is very ill.
Here is the recipe in case you've never made them. I always double the recipe. If you're going to make cookies, then make cookies!

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 eggs
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) Heath Bit o Brickle Toffee bits
1 cup coconut flakes (optional) I don't often put the coconut in because Claire doesn't like coconut.

Heat oven to 375 degrees, lightly grease cookie sheet. Beat butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat until blended. Stir in oats, toffee bits and coconut if desired with spoon.
Drop dough (by using a small ice cream scoop) about 2 inches apart onto a prepared cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Let cool five minutes on the cookie sheet before removing. Cool on a wire cooling rack.

Unlike my sister Lee who is the COOKIE QUEEN of the universe, I don't have a lot of cookie making secrets, but I do have a few, which are these ~ always use real butter, margarine just doesn't taste the same. Let the butter come to room temperature if possible before making the dough. If you must soften the butter in the microwave, don't let it melt. I've noticed that melting the butter changes the consistency of the cookie and makes them greasy. Use real vanilla, not imitation. Use a small little ice cream scoop as shown in the picture to make the cookies all the same size. Don't over bake cookies. Take them out when they are just barely done and let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to finish cooking. This results in a chewy cookie as opposed to a hard, crunchy cookie. Always make more than you need and freeze the rest or share them.
I'm proud to say I've only eaten TWO. In fact today I could pull my jeans down to my knees without unbuttoning them or unzipping the zipper. Size 12, here I come!!!!

Bigotry against M-o-r-m-o-n-s

Take a look at this opinion piece today in the Salt Lake Tribune. The author hits on a topic that is real and disconcerting here in Utah. I tend to agree with him. Here is a little sample of the article:
"It is obvious to an outsider that Utah, or at least Salt Lake City, has within itself a deeply held culture of bigotry. A bigotry so ingrained in the cultural norm that the readers posting comments to the newspaper's blogs, apparently believing they are freethinking and ironic, are saying things online that would never be allowed into print if written about other groups.

The Tribune and Utah bloggers seem unaware of this.

I noticed that after Utah and BYU athletic events, many bloggers simply use the occasion to display anti-Mormon hatred that had little relevance to the actual game..."

We live in a state where people reside who hate us because of our religious beliefs. Lots of other people hate us who live outside of the state. There are bigots on both sides of the debate. Mormons don't have a corner on perfection. Even though we strive to improve ourselves and make wise choices like most people, we are not perfect. However, those who speak the loudest just speak the loudest on both sides of the debate. They do no represent the silent masses who just go about living their lives and doing the best they can. There is a divide in this state that grows wider and deeper with the passage of time and events. The thing I object to are the generalizations that are used to categorize all people into one common stereotype. I am thought of as persona non grata because I live in Utah County as well and have affiliation with BYU. Could there be a more vile, repressed, unsophisticated, non-thinker, ignorantly obedient, weird, judgmental, self-righteous, provincial, backward, narrow-minded, prejudiced bigot than I?

Personality colors

Years ago Rick and I took a personality test that asked questions about our core thoughts and feelings and other motivational factors that make up our personalities. The book is called the Color Code.
It's an interesting look at what makes a person tick, and how that person relates to other people based on their personality characteristics. It puts people into four basic categories or colors and outlines their strengths and limitations. Of course people can have characteristics from each color, but each of us is generally predominately one color. Here's a little overview ~
RED ~ The Power Wielders. Are hungry for power. Want to look good to others. Seek leadership opportunities. Want to be productive. Shouldn't be taken too seriously. Some characteristics: active and productive, demanding and critical, competitive and bold, disagreeable, calculating and manipulative, insecure in some areas, tenacious and taxing, resourceful & self-reliant, lack intimacy orientation, assertive and determined, relentless and impatient.
BLUE ~ the Do-Gooders. Motivated by altruism. Directed by a strong moral conscience. Crave intimacy (loving relationships). Need to be loved. Some characteristics: emotional and admired, high expectations, self-sacrificing and nurturing, appropriate and sincere, self-righteous & insecure, committed and loyal, demanding, unforgiving and resentful, purposeful & dedicated, perfectionist, self-disciplined and stable, worry & guilt, moody & complex.
WHITES ~ the Peace Keepers. Motivated by peace. Like to keep a low profile. Motivated by other people's desires. Need kindness. Are independent. Some characteristics: peaceful and diplomatic, tolerant & patient, blendable, accepting, gentle and even-tempered, silent & stubborn, insecure & non-assertive, impressionable, unproductive dreamers, boring & lazy, aimless and misguided, doubtful & dependent, withhold feelings, unmotivated, timid & emotionally unsure, indecisive.
YELLOW ~ the Fun Lovers. Value play. Need intimacy through physical contact. Like action. Welcome praise. Want to be popular. Some characteristics: happy & fun, irresponsible, disorganized & incomplete, naive & trusting, self-centered, enthusiastic & carefree, impulsive & undisciplined, chatter-box & flirt, uncommitted, superficial, charismatic & popular.

The book is an interesting read and is helpful when trying to understand different personalities and their points of reference. It helps sort out basic human interactions when people respond so differently to similar situations, based on their personality color. It also gives some good tips on how to "deal" with personalities different than our own and how husbands and wives can better interact. I'll admit (which will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me) to being a predominately red personality with strong blue characteristics as well (nearly 50/50), some white and very little yellow characteristics. My husband is mostly blue with a lot of white, some red and little yellow. Our four children are probably each a different color! It's been so fun to raise them because they are each their own person and have their own unique personalities. Do you know your color?

Kids say the darndest things