Saturday, July 24, 2010

Arizona

These are pictures from my trip to Arizona in May.
I am itching to go again.
I do love a good road trip.
I want to take my children on a vacation.
I want them to travel the road that I traveled so many times.
I want them to love Arizona like I love Arizona.
Which they can't do unless I take them there and tell them things.
Grandpa could give them his infamous tour.
He is a native afterall.
My children are native to Utah--so far.
Who knows where they will land?

Friday, July 23, 2010

Parachutes, Weddings, Collisions, OH MY!

Not only have I really wanted to post lately, I feel like I need to post. So here I am. Want to know what pushed me back over the edge into blogland? Well, several things.

1. My niece jumped out of an airplane. That inspired me. In my head I actually thought, "If Nicole can fly, so can I! But not with a parachute, with a pen." (Well, not a pen, but a laptop.) http://poppinsko.blogspot.com/ Yes, she's crazy. In a good way.

2. I was studying late, at the library. While I was studying, I was eating almonds and chocolate. Eating almonds and chocolate made me think of my Aunt Myrna. I am just sorry for all of you Aunt Myrnaless people bumbling your way through lives devoid of knowing one of the most joyful, loving, giving, jolly people. There may be somewhere, someone equally as pleasant and jocular but there is no one, anywhere more so than she. While I was thinking of Aunt Myrna another actual, clear thought came into my head, "I need to blog about Aunt Myrna." Aunt Myrna is a phenomenal person in her own right but she just happened to give birth to one of my other favorite persons, my cousin, Carla, who could do no wrong. I was going to grow up to be just like her. I could go on and on--more blog topics for other days.

3. Then there was that fabulous event in July where Samantha and Brandon were officially and marvelously married. The hitching went off without a hitch. Seriously, not even a hiccup. Well, okay there were a few hiccups on the otherwise most perfect day ever.
All of this portion must be read in a very fast, very low mumbly voice like the people on the end of the commercials that are rattling off the disclaimers about all of the possible ways you can die if you use their product
I temporarily lost my cell phone at a critical juncture in the day, my dad wasn't able to come, I weigh about 1000 pounds, my youngest children will behave shockingly like children and look disgruntled in the one and only family picture I have had in about 5 years. (I would have thought they would be overjoyed to finally be in a family picture where they are visible, not still in my womb--preconception.) 
The days events were brilliantly and beautifully photographed by Jennifer Grigg, yes, THE Jennifer Grigg, and should be where they can be seen by all so I have been thinking, "I need to post some photos on my blog." Of course, I have actually been thinking that since May when the engagement photos were taken.
4. I am back in school and it is moving much like a bullet train--very fast. "What's that up there on the track? Dang, it looks like an oncoming train! Yep, sure enough". That oncoming train would be my job. Unfortunately both trains are packed with members of my family, close friends, any semblance of spirituality I once may have almost thought I had, homemaking skills, gardening, tennis playing, summer hours spent with my children at the swimming pool. (I taught all of my children how to swim except for Jeremiah and Corban who, I am afraid, secretly doubt that I know how to swim. Or maybe they think that I'll melt, like the Wicked Witch of the West. [Could happen.]  Scott has taught them. [to swim, not that I'll melt. I didn't catch that until I reread it just now--very funny. punctuation does matter. Not that anyone could tell that I understand that based upon my incredible overuse of parenthesis.] He has done an amazing job but "WAIT! That used to be my job. Didn't it? Wasn't it?" It was until I got on that blasted train.)
So, back to the two trains that are on a collision course with eachother, I am thinking that blogging will be a good buffer, stress reducer, a type of therapy if you will. I am hoping that it will act as a lever to switch one of the trains on to another track sort of like that horrible movie they showed in Seminary. The one about the dad who was a switch operator for a railroad and his son comes running on the track to tell him to come home. The dad has to choose between the train full of people or his son.--In the case of my impending trains colliding however, there isn't a person on the track there is just the other train. Hopefully my magical blog/lever/switch will put one of the two trains smoothly on to another track and they will both just travel safely until they arrive at their respective destinations.)

6. My loyal friends and family who would occassionally, very nicely ask me if I was thinking of maybe blogging again,ever, can be given much credit, or discredit, depending on your perspective, for my return to blogdom.

7. The most awesome, brilliant and inspiring bit of advertising that I have seen since the good old Dr. Pepper commercials. Check it out, if you haven't already on the incredible singing devil's blog. http://unwillingcougar.blogspot.com/. I watch it several times a day because it makes me happy and because it's in a library which is where I spend all of my time these days. This particular library is where I used to spend a lot of my time many, many moons ago. Brilliant.
I might go watch it again right now.

Those are just some of the reasons I have returned to the land o' the blogs. So here I am again! We'll just see how it goes.