Husbands

I know it is Halloween (not Father's day) but I've had this topic on my mind lately.  Husbands...sometimes they get the short end of the stick by their wives.  I know I've been guilty of this myself.  Now that our kids are grown and out of the house, I've grown to love and appreciate my husband more than ever.  For years and years when we were busy raising our children, our relationship got pushed down on the priority scale sometimes...OK... oftentimes.  My main focus was often on the children because their needs superseded everything else.  Add work, church service, community service, home maintenance and such and the left-over time for just the two of us was sometimes very slim pickings.

My sweet husband who brought me flowers yesterday.

My advise to young couples would be to try very hard to keep your relationship at the top of the priority scale. Get a babysitter more often than you do and get away.  Have a date night and stick to it every week.  It is well worth the price and the benefits will be immediate and long lasting.  Watering the plant of marital happiness will bear fruit for years to come.  After all, one day you will find that the children are gone and the two of you will be left in the home to make your own way again.  There is nothing better than finding that you still like each other, that you can laugh and enjoy one another and that your relationship is the one that will endure through all time (and eternity if you have LDS beliefs.)
This article was in the newspaper a few days ago.  I thought it contained excellent advice. 


Here are 10 compliments that your husband needs to hear:

1. I'm so glad I married you. Men need to feel secure in marriage, and the fastest way to let your man know he's still the one is to tell him outright. This is a great compliment because it can come completely out of the blue, without him having to do anything to earn it. Spontaneous compliments feel genuine and sincere.
2. I love how you provide for our family. Men hold themselves to a high standard when it comes to providing, and they need you to acknowledge their efforts. Let your husband know that he doesn't have to make millions to still make you happy.
3. I'm so proud of you. You'll get far in marriage being your husband's greatest cheerleader. In a world that continuously knocks him down, be the one to always lift him up.
4. You're such a great daddy. If you have kids, praise your husband for his involvement with the family. Modern society often tells dads that they come second to mom, so let him know he's a valuable asset to your family.
5. You're so attractive and handsome
   . Your husband needs to know you love the way he looks, even after a few years and a few extra pounds. Many men send and receive love through touch and physical intimacy, so complimenting his body is one of the fastest ways to show him love in a way he understands.
6. Thanks for fixing the broken dryer. Whenever your husband plays Mr.Fix-It around the house, compliment his efforts. He needs to feel capable, especially when he's taking care of you.
7. Thanks for the help around the house. Helping out can be a little scary for the man of the house. Chances are that you have your own way of doing things, and he may be afraid of messing up your system. Thank him sincerely when he helps out, regardless of whether he folds the sheets the "right" way.
8. You can always make me laugh. Let your man know that he lightens up your day and brings positive energy into your household. Even if your husband isn't the ha-ha funny type, you can still compliment his stellar smile.
9. You're so strong. The next time your husband lifts a heavy load of laundry, bat your eyelashes a little and compliment his Superman-like strength, even if you could have done the task yourself. Husbands need to know they're good for something, and they certainly need to know they're good for you.
10. I love spending time with you. We all get caught up in the business of everyday life, so let your spouse know that you still love to simply hangout with him. After all, you'll be his best friend and constant companion forever.

Up, up and away!

From a city known for Breaking Bad comes a beautiful view of the REAL city of Albuquerque Breaking Good!  Sit back, relax and see what all the fuss is about.

500,000 visitors
550 balloons
90 special shapes
18 different countries
Learn more HERE.

You've never seen anything like it!  I enjoyed experiencing the famous balloon fiesta with my  daughters and their families and my mother-in-law Pat this year.  What an "uplifting" experience.

Ingenious

Check out the back story here.  on the NYC story

And for my children and their spouses who might be missing a look at their alma mater (especially Claire who will love this) this one is for YOU!

Elder Earl in New England (updated)

When we went to visit the New England states a month ago, I had the opportunity to follow in more of my father's footsteps and visit some of the areas were he served as a missionary in 1942-1944.  He was miraculously allowed to serve his mission during WWII and was drafted into the army within days of his return in 1944.  I often wonder what would have happened if he would have been drafted sooner and if he wouldn't have been allowed to serve his mission.  Would he still have served after the War? Would he have gained such a strong testimony?  Would he was been killed or injured in the war if he had been drafted sooner?  The fact that he went when he did, to the place he served, shaped his future life to a large degree.  When he hear that God is involved in the details of our lives, I truly believe that He was involved in this very important detail of my dad's life.  His service meant everything to him and his future posterity. 
We got to visit Plymouth, MA.  It was the first area he served in as an LDS missionary.  His journal gave the exact address of where he lived, so we went to that address and found a nice looking Best Western hotel there now instead.  Oh well.  The surrounding homes looked like they could have been there in the 1940s. They were beautifully restore/maintained homes. I like to imagine my dad walking down the street and visiting with people along the way and telling them about the restored church of Jesus Christ.  His journal details his experiences and lists many, many streets in Plymouth that he tracked.
We also got to visit "the Rock" as he referred to it in his journal.  Plymouth Rock is much, much smaller than I had imagined.  Evidently, early visitors chipped a piece off "the Rock" as a souvenir and after awhile, the caretakers realized that there wasn't going to be much left of the rock if they allowed that practice to happen.  It amazing to think about the first pilgrims arriving in 1620. We saw a replica of the Mayflower and learned more about Rick's great-great-great-great (great??) grandfather William Bradford who was one of the original colonizers. 
The last two pictures show the Cambridge chapel in...Cambridge, MA.  The mission home that dad went to many, many times was located on this exact spot.  I'm not sure if the Church torn down the mission home and built the Cambridge chapel, but it was so interesting to see that this mission home/chapel is located just a few blocks from Harvard yard.  Just imagine, a young farm boy from Clarkston, Utah serving his mission in the sophisticated area of the New England states and talking with very educated people about the gospel.  He also served in New Haven, CT where Yale is located. I'm even more proud of my dad!  It was like traveling through time and going back to imagine what it would have been like to serve a mission in this area over 70 years ago!
Here are some pictures of the Elder at work, from a previous blog about his service. 

I can't help myself

With the government shut down and foreign affairs careening out of control, I can help but ask myself...where is Mitt Romney?  Seriously, he could have been part of the solution.  I wonder if the people who voted for our current president have had any second thoughts?  Remorse?  Misgivings? My feeling is that people will look back on the election of 2012 and know that a serious mistake was made in returning President Obama to the White House for another four years.  I'm still hurting over what might have been.
I have no delusions that Mitt Romney could have saved us from ourselves overnight.  There is too much spinning out of control on the home front and abroad and no one man could turn things around over night.  But I know this much...he would have tried. He would have worked to unite the two political parties, congress and the senate and find some middle ground to move our country forward.  He would have had the experience and the know how to start to get our country back on track.

Mitt recently spoke at the U of U law school.   He made some statements about key issues that our country is facing right now.  Again, I agree with his points and his thoughts on the current state of affairs we are in.  I enjoyed reading the comments from readers and agree with the following statements:

• An educated society wouldn't vote in the kind of leaders we now have.

• Ignorance is growing, and we may never recover.

•  Wow, for all the things one can say about Romney, at least he's not absurd. Nor, it seems, is he out there enough for what the republican party has become.

•  America, you missed the opportunity of the century to elect a man of sound judgement, sober thinking, and experience. You missed a man who looks beyond partisan politics to find real solutions. You missed a man with a real plan to help America become great again. You missed a man who was right on Mali, Iran, Syria, the Affordable Care Act, Detroit, and much, much more.

• What we got was a Community Organizer who has never run a business, school, city, or state elected over the Michael Jordan of economics/business. Awesome!!! Way to go Americans....

•   But the environment in our nation is more for receiving entitlements and taking instead of putting in your fair share and working. I don't know if Mitt Romney should have to put himself in the same situation, where the liberal media will ridicule him because of his faith, his family and anything else which is dear to him and take anything good he has ever done and drag it through the mud with lies and half truths. 

•  I salute him for his effort, and know that he loves our country and wants to make it a better place for all its citizens. He also has the knowledge, skills, and most importantly the INTEGRITY to have made major improvements.

• History will record 2012 as one of the great missed opportunities, and the event which permanently condemned our country and way of life to decline because voters chose unwisely.

•  We all understand why he didn't win. There are no illusions here. He didn't win because he couldn't mobilize the Republican base, a good portion of which couldn't come to grips with voting for a cultist Mormon, as well as the great democratic party hand out. Biased greed won out.

•  If Mitt were to run again. The liberal media team will go out saying he's wealthy, mean spirited, and cares nothing for the poor. Greedy rich man. Our uneducated country will fall for it, and another liberal takes over. They can't see the wealthy are the liberals who keep pulling the wool over their eyes. Sad.

•   Mitt was the man of the times for this country, unfortunately, too many people who want what's best for THEM over whats best for ALL voted for a amateur.