One year down!

It's been one year since UDOT started the 30 mile renovation of I-15 and shook up our world. Getting from point A to point B has been a hassle, to put it mildly. A driver going to SLC needs to time their drive and avoid rush hour if at all possible. We've avoided driving on I-15 when it's possible and taken back roads and other routes to avoid driving through the construction. We've seen more orange cones and construction equipment in the last year than we've seen in the last 50 years. It's a massive project. I've only been caught once in a slow down where it took 45 minutes to go 2 miles. And there is ONLY a year and a half to go if the workers meet their December 2012 deadline. Joy.
I must say though that some of the construction has been very interesting to watch. Every major overpass between the point of the mountain and Payson is being redone. Lanes are being added and when it's complete it will be so much easier to travel through Utah County. I guess all improvements come with some associated discomfort. UDOT has done an impressive job of keeping their web site updated and of warning motorists of scheduled delays. It's been quite the undertaking and it will be so much better when it's complete.
For you Lego or Erector set enthusiasts who enjoy building things (Claire and Dave) you may enjoy seeing these progression photos.
An especially impressive spectacle has been the construction and moving of the enormous bridges over the freeway. They have built the bridges to the side of the freeway and then in the middle of the night, they have closed the freeway and moved the entire constructed bridge into position in a matter of hours. Evidently this has never been done before with a section of bridge of this size. Check out this cool video to see the process.

Spring is (kind of ) in the air

Little notes of affection

Dear Mother Nature:
Enough already with the snow and 40 degree temperatures! Bring on some sunny days so that we can get outside and start our yard work, garage cleaning, window washing and patio set up. You've delayed us long enough and it's not funny any more.
I mean it.
Yours truly,
Vonnie

Dear Lands' End:
I adore your swim suits. I really do. They fit. They look nice. They stay put. They're cute. They cover what needs to be covered. For tall girls like me, this is a necessity. I love your online catalog and ease in ordering.
Please don't ever go away.
Your faithful customer.
Vonnie

Dear Father in-law Vern:
Happy 87th birthday dear man. You are a giant of a man. In every way. Your calm spirit is an example to us all. Your perseverance is amazing. Your ability to take whatever comes your way without complaint is inspiring. Your sense of humor is second to none. Your kind and gentle ways draw us to you. Your keen intellect and your ability to keep on learning is exemplary. You are a great husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle to many people who adore you.
From a daughter in-law who loves you.
Vonnie

Dear daughter Claire:
I wish I could come to your royal wedding party. You've pulled out all the stops and a good time is guaranteed to be enjoyed by all. Your love all things English and all things Royal make you the perfect party planner for the special day. Plus you love to create stuff. Plus you love good food. Plus you're so dang clever. Kate and Will would be proud. I know I am.
Your loving mother who wishes she lived in your neighborhood.
Vonnie

Dear darling granddaughters:
Could you possibly look any cuter in your Easter dresses? I'm so happy that you enjoyed them and that you had a great Easter day hunting for Easter eggs and learning more about why we really celebrate Easter. It's about what our Savior did for each of us. And now you know it too.
I loved talking to you each on Skype. You are the sweetest girls there ever where.
From your Grandma Vonnie who loves you so much

San Diego photographer

We're going to the beach in a month with our family! We've been planning this trip for a year and it's coming up soon. We're looking forward to being together and enjoying the company of everyone. I'm so excited. Since we don't often get everyone together in the same place for very long, we though we'd have a family picture done. Last year Jordan and Jake went to the beach with Jake's family. This photographer came to the beach and took their pictures. I really like the way they turned out. She is available to do our pictures this year! Happiness! Hooray for Elizabeth at Lizzy Photos.

The assassination revisited

I've always been a BIG fan of Abraham Lincoln. I think it started when our dad worked for Lincoln National Life Insurance Company. Abe's picture was on his stationary and the company also gave him some cool Lincoln memorabilia for his office. He even had some life-size-plaster-of-paris-casts of Lincoln's hands that were painted a bronze color. They were huge hands.
(I wonder where those went...)
Anyway, as I said, I've always been a big fan. I memorized the Gettysburg address when I was a kid and I loved seeing the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC the most of all the monuments when we visited Washington. There is a sacred spirit there and it is awesome to read the words engraven on the walls of some of Lincoln's most memorable addresses.
So when I saw this cover story, I was drawn to it. It presents an interesting perspective on the civil war and the actual cause of the civil war that happened 150 years ago. Was the war fought over slavery or was it fought for state's rights and the preservation of the union? The losses in human life were staggering - which left more than 625,000 dead — more Americans killed than in both world wars combined. It's an interesting read and even more interesting to find out more about that time period and some of the events that happened then. It's also very sobering to think that Americans are still suffering from some of the consequences from that war.
Which brings me to a couple of recommendations on the topic:

I highly recommend this book.
I began reading Manhunt over a long weekend. By the end of the day I had accomplished none of the chores and errands I had hoped to scratch off my list, but instead found myself 350 pages into this book. I eventually pried myself away long enough to get some sleep and then promptly finished it up the next morning. Though I am a lover of history, rarely has my attention been held as long and as rapt as with this work of non-fiction. I highly recommend it.

AND

Be sure to see this movie. It is so well done, thought provoking and powerful.


(I still think she knew more about the plot to assassinate the President than she let on.) What do you think?

Gather around the dinner table

This beauty is 29 years old. Rick and I got it brand new after Grandma F. passed away and we got several hundred dollars from her estate. We went right out and bought this new table and chairs. Beginning in 1982 it became the place for family dinners every night. Thousands and thousands of meals have been served on this table. Lots and lots of guests have eaten there as well. At least seven little kids learned to feed themselves at this table.
Around 2005 we passed the table on to our daughter and got a bigger one in our kitchen. Her family has used it over those years continuing the tradition of having a family dinner hour and serving a good meal. It has been beaten up, washed and rewashed and used and abused as it should have been. It now has moved on to serve another family (although Dave and Courtney kept one chair for their computer desk, so a piece of it lives on in our family.)
But more importantly, it's been the center of attention, quite possibly the most important piece of furniture in the family. This is the scene of many family gatherings, were lively discussion has taken place. It's been the place where the whole family came together at least once a day, sometimes more, to talk, to share, to tease, to debate, to read scripture, laugh, get caught up and just have good ole family interaction.
The importance of the family dinner hour can't be overstated.
Research shows that:
"Major recent studies have shown the tangible benefits that a regular dinner hour with good conversation has on family bonding.

A 2004 study of 4,746 children, 11 to 18, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that families who ate together frequently had a significantly lower risk of smoking, drinking and marijuana use, and a lower incidence of symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts. They also got better grades.

A study of 12- to 17-year-olds by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that the more often teens had dinner with their parents, the less likely they were to be with sexually active friends, and, for the girls, less likely to have boyfriends two years or more older. A University of Minnesota study found that children who dined frequently with their parents were less likely to have eating disorders.

It's not rocket science. It's not fancy parenting psychobabble from some self-professed guru.

It's just what I call basic, common-sense parenting. Make the family dinner hour a regular and consistent tradition in your house. It's impossible to screw it up: Just make a simple dinner and make sure parents and kids are there to share the meal and share some conversation."

HOW CAN WE BRING BACK THE FAMILY DINNER HOUR?

The best way to bring back the family dinner is to make it a part of your daily routine. Make dinner time the same time every evening and stick to it if possible. Tell every family member that dinner will be served at a specified time and all must be present.

Next, plan for each of the dinners in advance. Most of us don't realize how much time we waste looking for the right recipe, then running to the store several times a week to buy the necessary items. However, if you have a meal plan in place each week that includes a complete week of dinners, all the recipes, and a grocery shopping list, you will save a tremendous amount of time; time that is better spent with your family.

Post your menu on the refrigerator so family members will know what dinner will be. When they see that you have planned a family dinner, they will not only plan to be there, but also look forward to this wonderful tradition.