Happy 82nd Birthday Mom!

Mary Ann, Janet, Gary, baby Vonnie and Mom in Rupert.

Me, Dad and Mom, probably in Providence

Mom in front of our home in Rupert. Mom and Dad in our living room.

Grandma F. Aunt Rhonda, Mom and Aunt Gayla

High school graduation in 1973.

Lee, Carol, Me, Mom, Paul and Dad. Graduation from BYU 1979.

Mom and her mother-in-law Grandma Mayme at Bear Lake.

Mom on a family vacation with us in California at the beach.

At the Clarkston cemetery decorating the graves with Mom, Gary, Aunt Sarah, Lee and me.

Seeing Mom and David off at the SLC airport before their mission.

Visiting mom at the London temple.

Mom showing her adventuresome side! She is intrepid and is always up for a good time.

Snorkeling at Cozumel on the family cruise at 78 years old.

Mom with our family after Dave got home from his mission.

Me and Mom in her home last year. Isn't she beautiful?

My mother is an amazing woman. She has lived 82 years to the fullest and she is still going strong, enjoying good health and energy. Here are some interesting tidbits about Mom:

• She was born in Providence, the oldest daughter and second oldest child. She grew up in Providence and she has come full circle, living there again during the summer months.
• She learned to work hard on their family ranch during the summers. Her parents had some money and she didn't want for much.
  
• She fell into a cistern filled with water and nearly drowned when she was small. Her dad fished her out and saved her life. She was sent back to finish her life on earth by her deceased relatives.
  
• Her mother was a gracious woman who taught her how to cook, clean, entertain and keep a home. We owe much to Grandma F. for her influence on her son & daughters
  
• She met our dad and married him three months later. Their match was made in heaven and it was meant to be.
  
• Her father LaVon died suddenly of a heart attack when Mom was a young married woman while he was out deer hunting. She said it was the greatest shock of her life.
  
• she and her husband left Utah and moved to Idaho to take a good paying job teaching school. They thought they would be back in a couple of years. She didn't return for 32 + years.
  
• Mom and Dad raised seven kids on a 40 acre farm in Idaho. She worked hard from sun up to pretty much sun down. She taught us how to do many things that have blessed our lives immensely. She is a great cook, a wonderful seamstress, a organized entertainer and a gifted homemaker in every sense of the word.
  
• We lost our dad to cancer when she was 56 years old. She mourned his loss for many years, but she wasn't one to sit around and mope forever. She got some training in medical assisting and went out and got a job. Once she found out she had to show up every day, it cramped her style too much and she gave it up. But she was trained and willing to work if the need arose.
• She met Darwin P. about eight years after our dad passed away. They were married on her 65th birthday and they lived in Logan during the summer and in Mesa Arizona during the winter months.
• She served in the church in many capacities. She was Relief Society president at least three times and taught the gospel in various classes. She has been a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and she has a firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  
• After Darwin died, she met a very nice man named David E. in Mesa. They were married and later served a mission to the London temple as temple workers. They enjoyed that opportunity and experience very much. They also took up playing tennis and they have had a great time competing with their friends. She is still going strong playing tennis!
  
• For her 80th birthday, we had a family party at Timp Lodge. All of her children were there and almost all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It was a memorable time to be together celebrating Mom's wonderful life.
• Mom has had some hard trials to surmount and she has done it was determination and faith. She survived breast cancer and is an example to us all of one who doesn't complain and who moves ahead amid the challenges of life.

I pay tribute to my mother. She has been a wonderful example to me of how to live life and never give up. She has shown courage and guts and she is always positive and productive. I have always known that she loves me and she is generous with her praise and unconditional love. She had high expectations for all of us and she always encouraged us to do our best. Thank you Mom for setting such a good example for all of us. Mom, you are my hero and I love you very much.

Typical week

What is your typical week like? Mine is pretty predictable and regular at this point in my life. Here is a peek:

Monday - Friday

• 6:15 the alarm goes off for Rick. He goes out running. My alarm goes off at 6:45, but I'm usually already awake.
• 7:00 - 8:00 get up and go walking or play tennis with Patsy (now that it's colder we sometimes go to the Rec Center and do the elliptical machine or walk inside)
• 7:15 - Rick leaves for work
• 8:00 - 9:00 read the paper, get ready for the day, do a home chore or two
• 9:00-leave for work
• 9:30-2:30 work
• 3:00 - 4:00 go to Curves (M, W, F)
• 4:00-5:00 do errands, VT, attend meetings at Scera, do a couple home chores
• 6:00-8:00 M go to dinner with some empty nest couples and have a little FHE or have our own studying Preach my Gospel or a conference talk
• 5:30-9:00 on T and W - serve at the MTC (eat dinner there on W)
• 5:00-6:00 T and Th - make dinner
• 6:00 Rick gets home
• 6:00 on Thursday - once a month we go to a play at Pioneer or we'll go to the temple, or I'll have my ladies group meetings
• 6:00 on Friday we often go out to dinner and a movie or some other activity or go out with some friends
• We try and be in bed by 10:00 (but it's usually 11:00). We sometimes read before we fall asleep if we're not too tired. We fit prayers and scriptures into the day as well.

Saturdays mornings (when we are in town) we clean the house and do the laundry. Rick always cleans the bathrooms, and we take turns vacuuming and mopping the kitchen floor. I do the picking up and dealing with the stacks of paper and stuff that accumulates during the week. Afternoons are usually football for him and doing something I want for me. We usually get Saturday evenings at home.

Sunday - Rick is at the MTC from 7:00-3:00. I'm there from 8:00-12:00. We eat lunch there. We do our HT in the afternoon when he gets home. We have a couple of hours to read the paper and take a nap. We usually have someone over to eat dinner. Last week he hosted Dave's old roommates and Dave and Courtney. It was a fun evening and those young men can really eat. In two weeks we'll have Sydney and Adam and after that the Lindley girls.

Margie's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Years ago, Rick's sister Margie worked at a muffin store in the mall. She got a bunch of their recipes that we have enjoyed making over the years. They are delicious! One of my favorites to make in the fall is this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe. It makes almost six dozen muffins, so you may want to freeze some, cut the recipe in half or share with your neighbors. We shared with our VT and HT families and they disappeared very quickly. Here's the recipe:
Beat together 2 cups oil, 2 cups brown sugar, 4 cups sugar (ya, I know, it's a TON of sugar) 8 beaten eggs, 1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda dissolved in 1/3 cup warm water. Then add 4 cups pumpkin, 7 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, 2 teaspoons cloves, 2 teaspoons nutmeg and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Add a cup warm water before the flour is completely incorporated and 3 cups semi sweet or milk chocolate chips or some of both. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched. Enjoy!

Taps on Veterans Day

If any of you have ever been to a military funeral in which taps were played; this brings out a new meaning of it...
We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, 'Taps'. It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes.
But, do you know the story behind the song? See this website to learn more and to hear taps played. Here is one version of the story.
Reportedly , it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia . The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land.

During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment

When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted.
The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral.
The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate.
But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician.
The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform.
This wish was granted.
The haunting melody, we now know as 'Taps' used at military funerals was born.

The words are:
Day is done.
Gone the sun.
From the lakes
From the hills.
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.

Fading light.
Dims the sight.
And a star.
Gems the sky.
Gleaming bright.
From afar.
Drawing nigh.
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise.
For our days.
Neath the sun
Neath the stars.
Neath the sky.
As we go.
This we know
God is nigh

I too have felt chills while listening to 'Taps' but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn't even know there was more than one verse. I also never knew the story behind the song. I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.

Remember Those Lost and Harmed While Serving Their Country.
Also Remember Those Who Have Served And Returned;

and For Those Presently Serving in the Armed Forces.

Enterprise Mentors International (EMI) Part 2

A month ago I did a blog entry on a new organization which I was made aware of at the September Cleofon ladies group meeting. In the entry, I asked if anyone would be interested in going with me to the fund raising gala. My dear friend Colleen responded that she would love to go, so last night she and I had the opportunity to go to the annual EMI gala at the Grand American Hotel ballroom in SLC. I didn't take my camera, but I wish I would have. Wow. Wow. Wow.
The ballroom was packed. I don't know how many hundreds of people attended, but it was a capacity crowd. The master of ceremonies was Lloyd Newell, voice of the Spoken Word for the Mormon Tabernacle choir broadcasts. Elder Holland and Elder Cook were in the audience along with Senator Hatch and many other dignitaries. We didn't see any of these people because the ball room was so huge and we were sitting to one side. We did however, see my great friend Kathleen and a couple who used to live in our ward. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and made some new friends at our dinner table. I sat next to Colleen on one side and Dr. David N. Sundwall who is on the Governor's cabinet over Health in the state of Utah. We made contact with another couple at our table who gave us more information about how to get involved with EMI. The woman, Leah, is a young woman about the age of Jordan and Jana Philipp and she got involved when she moved to Utah several years ago. We hope to make contact with her and get involved at a local level supporing EMI.
After dinner, we were shown a video of vignettes of various people who have been helped by EMI. They are people who live in grinding poverty as described in my first blog entry, and they are able to take out a small micro credit loans for about $150 to start a small home business. It's amazing what people invent or create to make money. The stories were so touching and real. Most of the people are from the Philippines, Guatemala and Peru. Since my husband served his LDS mission in Peru, I was very interested in learning more about how the organization has helped those good people. Colleen's daughter Jana served her mission in Guatemala and Colleen has been there twice to visit the country with Jana. She loved the Guatamalan people and knows that their needs are real. It's impossible to describe the kind of poverty and heartache that most of these people live in daily. It's beyond our wildest dreams unless it is seen personally. Yet, they make the most of what they have and are so humble and kind.
The theme for EMI this year at the gala was "Celebrating a Legacy of Hope" and that is exactly what they do. All the proceeds from the gala (which amounted to over $300,000 that one evening) are sent to EMI. Our dinner and all the costs of the evening were paid for by the board of directors (very wealthy people I'm sure.) It felt good to know that our small contribution would be enough to help one person get going on a home business to support their family. Most of the loans are given to women with children and it is truly amazing to see how the loan helps their families by giving them opportunities for education and growth.
If that weren't enough, the rest of the evening consisted of a performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They sang six songs, four of my most favorite of all time - Consider the Lilies of the Field, He Shall Feed His Flock, The Impossible Dream and the Battle Hymn of the Republic. They were amazing and it was incredible to sit about 50 feet from them and to hear their beautiful sound quality in a ballroom setting. It gave me goose bumps.
We were all given a little hand made heart ornament made by a man in the Philippines who takes old fluorescent tubes and melts them down and makes little delicate ornaments out of them. I even had a little red heart in my program that entitled me to take our beautiful centerpiece home with me (shown above.)
It was an evening not soon to be forgotten for a cause in which I truly want to get involved. Colleen and I decided to return next year and to bring our husbands along. We had such a wonderful evening visiting and learning more about an organization that "gives a hand up, not a hand out." Please join us next year if you are interested and ask me more about it. The 5 Browns will be performing!