What Kind Of Yeast To Buy

Emy gets all the credit for leading me to this great find.
For those of you who were looking for a good yeast for Em's bread recipe, here it is. It comes tightly packed in this colorful bag. You'll find it sitting on the shelf in your local supermarket.
I keep it in the fridge in a sealed tupperware bowl after opening. It's a large quantity, so those of you who don't bake often might want to consider the small packets instead.
Happy Bread Making!

Aphorisms To Remember

"To be
yourself
in a
world
that
is
constantly
trying
to
make you
something
else
 is
the
greatest
accomplishment
ever."

Nacho Cheese Sauce? Oh Yes It Is 'Yo' Cheese Sauce!

Anyone else out there a Nacho lover? I thought I'd try my hand at making it from scratch.
Here’s the ingredients:

1-1/2 Tb butter

1 Tb corn starch

½ cup evaporated milk

1 ounce cream cheese cubed

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded

1/8 cup Monterey Jack shredded

½ Tb hot sauce

1 Tb paprika

(Note: keep the cheese in the fridge until you are ready to shred it.)

Prep everything on this recipe before you start cooking. That way you won’t scorch things on the bottom the way I do. This is a great recipe to make in your double broiler if you are smart enough to own one!

Instruction:

Melt butter in heavy sauce pan.

Stir in corn starch.

Add the milk.

Chop the cream cheese into little cubes so it will melt faster.

Stir cream cheese into butter and milk and stir until smooth.

Add cheddar and stir till smooth.

Add Jack and stir until smooth.

Add paprika (you can add chile pepper here too if you like, it’s not rocket science.)

Now add the hot sauce until it’s your favorite spiciness!

 

A Long Time Ago

From left to right, (#2) Nancy Phyllis,( #3) Carol, (#4 Faye), and (#1) daughter Mary Kathryn.

This picture appeared in the Standard Examiner so long ago I can't remember. I have always thought I'm the luckiest girl ever. You see, I had the ultimate childhood, I got to grow up on a farm and this has made all the difference in me!
I guess I should have felt sorry for my dad, everyone else who owned and operated dairy farms did. Most farmers had sons to help, not my dad. But how could I feel sorry for having the privilege of growing up in the best way possible. My father thought his fate unfortunate when his own father died at a young age leaving him the farm. Maybe this wouldn't have been so unfortunate if my dad had produced any boys to help him with all that work. But you see my dad was the only boy in his family and even though all he ever wanted was go to college, he instead got the farm and his sisters got the education.
The story is told when Carol was born and my dad found out it was another girl, he sat down on his milking stool in the middle of the milking parlor and cried. I think he saw a glimpse of his lonely male future on the farm. The ironic part is, his sister who lived in the city, gave birth to four boys. Here my dad wanted an education and instead got the farm, he wanted boys, and instead got girls. It just goes to show you, life is often unfair, and I'm glad.
Inheriting a future my parents never really wanted often caused both of them to cuss the farm and bemoan the financial stress and work load it created. Every time they did I would hug them and beg, "Please don't sell it." I appreciated their sacrifices even as a child.
My sisters laughed at that because I had asthma and got to sleep in while they had to get up every morning at 4:30 and milk a hundred head of cows. Because of my asthma, I was only allowed to play down at the barn, not work there. I want you to know it pays to be the baby of a family! There are indelible rights that come with being the baby and I enjoyed every one of them! I was born on the 4th of July, born on a farm and born the baby; life doesn't come any better than that!
It must of been after the milking stool incident with Carol's birth that my father decided to assign his children numbers. Maybe it helped him acclimate to the fact he was never going to have a son. I only know by the time I was born my father had totally settled in with the fact he had no boys. He proudly named me after his favorite cow, a full fledged sign he was serenely comfortable with raising girls!
The last thing I want to touch on is our names.  My oldest sister was named Mary Kathryn. My father chose the name. The middle name is a strong Blanch family name.
When Phyllis was born my mother said she was picking the name and she announced to my dad she had chosen Phyllis Nancy. On Phyllis's blessing day my dad proudly held up his #2 little daughter in her little white blessing gown and pronounced to heaven his daughter would be known on this earth as Nancy Phyllis Blanch. My mother nearly fainted.
The war between my parents continued over my sisters first name and Phyllis went to school at age six being referred to as just that, "Phyllis". Everyone called my sister "Phyllis" except for my father, but that only lasted until she came home with her first report card. After getting a glimpse of her name in writing my dad sent my sister back to school with this proclamation, "You're name is "Nancy", you will be called "Nancy", and I don't want to ever see "Phyllis" written on anything again!"
Once my father put his foot down, that was it, the name "Phyllis" was never to be uttered again.  My mother however, and her sisters were not going to budge one inch on calling her "Phyllis" and no Blanch was telling them what to do! They would not give in to my father's demands. They stood their ground back then and still do so today. The entire world calls my sister "Nancy", with exception to my mother, her sisters, and of course Mary, Carol and I.  My mother predominantly governed her children and so my father tolerated us calling our sister "Phyllis". I think he did this in the wake of having gotten his own way with the rest of the universe..
Now you can understand why when Carol came along my mother said, "No more middle names." I was always a little miffed at how Carol and I were slighted with having only one boring name, and to this day I have always wished my parents would have named me "Liberty." I told my dad he wasn't very creative!
My parents loved to battle over everything when it came to naming their children. Even with my short simple name there was a battle. My mother was pretty clever though in getting her own way, she filled out the birth certificate and so legally my name is spelled just the way my mother wanted, Faye with an e! She cleverly won this one. My dad never gave into her wishes and whims. Legal or not, he never once spelled my name with an "e", alway just Fay, simple and short, just the way he wanted it!  Maybe this is why they didn't have any more children, naming them was far to horrendous and the only thing worse that four girls would have been five.
The farm is gone now, my dad is gone, I am thankful both live on in me today!

Time Out For Women

A couple of weeks ago I came home, kicked off my shoes, flopped my satisfied self down on the couch and started to cry. I wasn't sad. Far from it! I had just attended "Time Out For Women", and my cup ranneth over literally, yes, the river had swelled up and it was now flowing over the narrow banks of my eyes. That day coming home my life felt so hopeful, and rich beyond measure  Wisdom had opened spaces in my head that haven't seen light like that forever.
"Time Out For Women" was amazing and now I want someone to manufacture an IV that I can plug into my veins every morning; I want to drain several bags of fluid loaded with the energy and insight this conference produced in me. How long can I hang onto it? Please God don't let me go back to my old ways of thinking! May a higher source keep this vitality alive in me until dust takes over my bones! My brain is clawing to hang on to all those new thoughts and ideas with every fiber of deep seeded optimism that took up root in me after having attended.
As Emy, Kadie and I drove away from Weber State University that day, I asked them, "How is it we can go through life being so uninsightful?" I always wonder why it is I learn new ways of thinking and being and then forget them the minute stress hits? Kadie laughed at that. We all laughed, because it's true.
There were so many great things about this conference. It started out in the best way ever . . . standing in line with Becky and BethAnn. There's nothing in life like good friends, and a good friend always lets you butt in line. I know I should have felt bad, but I didn't, we butted two days in a row and that made the conference just that much better because I got to sit and talk to BethAnn all those moments when we were sitting in our chair side by side waiting for the fun to begin.
I love BethAnn and I love her daughter Becky! BethAnn is the reason my girls can produce beautiful music on the piano. BethAnn is one of the most talented artists on the piano I have ever met and I can pick out her students in a heart beat. She is such a great pianist! Besides her amazing talent she's been such a good friend to me, a real positive in my life. Becky takes after her mother in sweetness and in the talent department as well, you name it she can do it. She has the most beautiful voice and she has become Kaedell's personal friend and accompanist. Becky plays the piano just like her mother. She is very talented. You should hear her and Kaedell when they get together, Kaedell with her violin, Becky on the piano, these two are a winning combination and beautiful music is a given when they team up! They play for sacrament meetings, stake meetings, and events all over the Wasatch front.

I wish I could write down all of the inspirations that came to me in two days. I will try to share some. There were so many good speakers. I took notes the entire time, so hopefully I can share bits and pieces here and there. From Chieko Okazaki (pure inspiration) to Amanda Dixon, I couldn't get enough. Amanda Dixon is one of the best speakers I've ever listened to. Besides laughing until my sides hurt, she gave amazing wisdom right along with the hysterical jolts she brought to the stage! That woman is an entertainer as well as a speaker!
We got to listen to Jenny Oaks Baker preform. That was a real highlight. Kaedell has every CD she's ever made. Well, it was two days packed with everything to bring a smile, warm the heart, and impress the mind, and I got to share it all with my girls.
I want to thank Kaedell for getting us all there. She organized it, called everyone in the family to see who wanted to and could go, then collected money and bought the tickets. Emy arranged our lunch at Hug Hess Cafe. There were 12 total in our group and Em had connections for reserved seating and lunch was yum, and yes girls you can thank me for the free cookies hahahaha! All in all it was a spectacular weekend! Thanks Kaedell and Em, snaps to you both! Kadie, maybe you could add some of your great pictures here, would you?

Spur Of The Moment Fun

What you're looking at in this picture is nothing short of a miracle. I can't even remember the date, I know it was in October of 08 sometime because that's when I always go to Park City for my annual Christmas Jammy run.
Usually I try to take a person with me. I'm over 50 and I don't trust my own opinions anymore in the "Picking things out department".  I have serious fear! I worry someone will open their gift on Christmas day, take one look at it, and cry. There is also the fact I now have seven grandchildren and how do I keep all those sizes straight? Who knows what I'll do when I have twenty seven grandchildren. All I know is I mentioned I was going to Park City to buy pajamas for my Christmas grandkiddy sleepover and the next thing I knew my car was filled with people. That is the part that is a miracle, because getting all of these girls in my car for half a day is quite a feat.
These are the days a mother lives for. I love having girls, (daughters and daughter in laws), and if I can get any of them to come with me it's pure joy! If I can get all of them together, all at once, this is the ultimate!
For years all of us girls had a fun tradition shopping for the weekend while the men went deer hunting. Then the men stopped hunting and that ended our tradition.
Start saving your money girls! I'm planning a fun filled weekend for the fall. I'm starting up the tradition again, just because the men stopped hunting doesn't mean we need to stop shopping.
Thanks for tagging along with me girls! I knew I'd found complete ecstasy when we finished up our jammy shopping by stopping at Harry and Davids before we headed home. I was so lucky that day, I not only got to go shopping with my girls, I got the last bag of little red cream filled red licorice sticks! It was the ultimate day!

Journal Entry February 19, 2010

Cleaning out my study today. A friend of mine sent me this little clip since she knew I was working on becoming a minimalist. The clip reminded me I need to make less junk in the world.
Haven't written a journal entry for three weeks or more. Haven't felt much like writing. Negativism does this to me.
This week I invented ohnery to a new degree! By Wednesday I assumed it was the weather that was causing it. (I need the sun.) Finally around five o'clock in the afternoon, I prayed for some help. I hate myself when I'm this way. I didn't feel much of the spirit after praying but it was time to go to Young Women's, so I belligerently drove to the church.
As soon as I arrived I remembered it was pajama night. I was not dressed for the occasion. Being rebellious throughout the entire day prevented me from even thinking about wearing my P.J's to the Young Women's.
When I walked in I saw all the girls had brought their blankets and pillows, my mood immediately changed. Isn't it funny how something so little can bring instant relief, immediately when I saw the environment of relaxation I felt better. Something about pig tails, fluffy slippers mixed with flannel sprawled and propped on percale softened my whole demeanor.
The girls were working on personal progress. The thought went through my mind, "Well, isn't this befitting for a person who doesn't feel like she's progressing at all today!"
I sat down by Kayla. Her gentle spirit mellowed mine. We started looking up some scriptures for a goal she was working on. I looked up Alma 7:23-24 and that's when my prayer for help stood straight before me.
I read, "And now I would that ye should be ^ahumble, and be ^bsubmissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. And see that ye have ^afaith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works."
Immediately I felt my negative nature disperse, all of it just fell away, and quietly my heart whispered, "Thank you, I needed that." 
Today is a better day. And again I'm reminded (Proverbs 3:12) " For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth . . .

Ogden Temple Getting A New Look

Present

Future

33 Years ago I was married in the Ogden Temple. That would be just five years after the temple was built. I can't tell you how excited I was when I heard the news. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints made and announcement Wednesday about major renovation to the Ogden Utah Temple. I only have one word ---Hallelujah!

I don't know about anyone else, but I've always thought the Ogden and Provo temple's were the least appealing temples designed by man! I've never thought they were pretty to look at in any way, shape, or form. And given the churches history of designing some pretty amazingly beautiful temples, I always wondered what in the world happened in the seventies to make anyone think these designs were comparative in anyway to the beauty and history of our past designed temples. Maybe that sounds harsh, and I don't mean to imply that I don't love the Ogden Temple because I do ----it's my temple, but I do not love the looks of it and I never have.

After hearing the news last night for the first time, I was a little taken back when this morning the first words that came to my mind as I began my day with prayer, were "Thanks so much Heavenly Father for bringing us a new and beautiful temple! I went on and on with excitement! I can't tell you how grateful I am! I can't wait to see it! I try to attend the temple on a pretty regular basis, so I can't wait to be going there lots!!! I can't wait to spend some time strolling the new grounds with my camera and taking pictures!
If you missed the news check out the following link.
Click here, ksl.com

The New Four Wheel Drive

During the winter, some of you might think you need to go out and buy yourself a four wheel drive if you want to come and visit us here in Bear Lake. It's not true. You can come to the lake in anything and we'll supply the four wheel drive!

Don't they look buff?

Meet our own muscleized four wheel drive team.

From left to right--- Jace, Seth, Goose and Log Dog!

When these men show up, all four wheels usually have power.

In this case, when Seth is not engaged, we can even get you out with three wheel drive!

Come and see us! Happy President's Day :D

New Is Nice

I've been waiting for over a year to get a new computer. My old computer just wouldn't preform the work I need it to when I edit pictures. I spent half my life just waiting on my computer!

When the UPS man finally knocked on my door, I couldn't wait to open the box.

Gavin is responsible for my addiction to anything Mac. He taught me the saying, and truer words have never been spoken,

"Once You Go Mac You Never Go Back!"

Because I'm old and semi blind, I also got a Mac monitor. Now I just plug my laptop in and work from the monitor. I think I am never going to leave my study ever again.

I told Gavin. "I just know God works on a Mac!"

Gavin is my personal "Mac One on One Specialist." I love it!

He came over and got all my files moved from my old PowerBook G4 to my new MacBook Pro. Did I tell you how much I love SPEED!

Kelson couldn't wait to buy my old PowerBook. He can't come in my study now though. Every time he sees my new computer, it gives him a bad case of the "I want's," as in, "I want a new one too." Well Kelson, just remember, even an old Mac is better than a brand new PC!

Gavin gave me a great idea as he was setting up my new machine. He suggested I get Glade a Mac for our anniversary.

"You want me to buy "Man With A Drill." a new laptop Gav--- are you nuts?" I could barely conceive the thought. Then the idea sort of grew on me and before long I couldn't believe I was fully entertaining the notion. "He won't even know how to turn it on," was my reply.

Gavin assured me we could teach an old dog new tricks. I decided Glade works hard and he never buys himself anything nice, so I went out and bought it for him. I was so excited to see his face when he opened up his gift.

You can see the pain in his face can't you? I thought he was going to pass out. All the kids gathered round. Gavin was practically drooling showing Glade how wonderful it is to own a Mac laptop!

We spent hours there showing "Man With A Drill" how to step out of the stone age and into the world of technology. Glade ask me "What happened to your "I want to be a minimalist" thinking? I assured him it was still there and this was going to help us get organized. "Say goodbye to paper, honey! We just saved an entire forest by buying you a Mac!"

It's been a few days now and Glade is fully in love with his new computer, every night he falls asleep with it on his lap. I understand his love. Who ever thought after being married for 33 years, you'd find Glade and I in bed at night with our computers. It's a good thing we didn't discover our love for the Macs until after the 8 kids were born. If only we had known---

The best birth control is sold at the Apple store! Hahahahaha

Here's to owning a Mac!

Cute Little Valentine

Take my picture Grandma. . .

Today is my very first Valentine's Day and I look really cute in red!

Happy Valentines Day Caroline!

I Want To Be A Minimilist!

"I love my fate to the very core and rind." wrote Henry David Thoreau. I think Henry David Thoreau knew something few of us know. For instance take his bold statement, "Most men live lives of quiet desperation." What did he know that I need to know?
The other day I found something on the internet. I was led to it by a power greater than mine. After reading it, I remembered a book I love. I looked up and saw it sitting in my bookcase. I reached up and pulled it from the shelf, dusted it off, and poured my mind into it once again. I love this book! It's title, "Walden and other writings" by Henry David Thoreau.
If you could sum up the lessons Henry David Thoreau tried to teach, you could do so by using one word, "Simplify." He said, "Simplify the outward circumstances of your life, simplify your needs and your ambitions; learn to delight in the simple pleasures which the world of Nature affords. Scorn public opinion, refuse to accept the common definitions of success, refuse to be moved by the judgments of others."
Henry David Thoreau for those of you who are not familiar with this man was born July 12, 1817. He was a very educated man, graduating from Harvard in 1837. He was referred to as a "Young Thinker" and became best friends with another favorite writer of mine, Ralph Waldo Emerson. In 1845 Thoreau decided to try an experiment for which he was most famous. He took up residency in a shack, in the woods, beside a New England pond, where he lived for two years and two months. There as he stated many times, he learned to live deliberately. While living there he wrote several inspiring works on life and the role of government in it, works that are still looked at and quoted today.
Henry David Thoreau might not have known it at the time, but I think he discovered what it was to be a minimalist.  His greatest words were, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." He went on to describe passionately, "I want to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that is not life."
After reading Thoreau's inspiring words, I decided I want to live deliberately! I too want to live deep, suck out all the marrow of life.
I told Glade the other night when he got home from work that I'd stumbled onto a new idea. When ever I express to Glade new ways of thinking, Glade knows without a doubt, pain is coming. Last night as I expressed my desires for change his eye started to twitch, and he looked pale at the thought. I could see his trepidation as he asked in hopes I wouldn't answer, "What's a minimalist?"
"It's a striking back at the growing complexity of our modern world, honey," I added the sweetness on the end in order to soften him up. I'm not sure it worked. I went on to tell him how it goes against consumerism, against the mindset that we need to buy to solve our problems, that we need more and bigger. It goes against the idea that busier is better, that more is better. All these ideas are a lie. We don't need more to be happy. We need less. Less 'is' more!
Minimalism says that what’s unnecessary is a luxury, and a waste. Why be wasteful when the unnecessary isn’t needed for happiness? When it just gets in the way of happiness, of peace? By eliminating the unnecessary, we make room for the essential, and give ourselves more breathing space. I told Glade right then, I want to simplify our lives, get rid of all the extra nothingness of space occupying junk. I told him I see peace, contentment, and greater happiness in making our lives smaller.
Glade and I are both in different respects, pack rats. Right now my study is a mess. The clutter is debilitating to my brain. It comes in, I don't know what to do with it, it grows into a pile, and the piles just grow higher. It weighs in on me and it takes up space in my mind it doesn't deserve. As I go throughout my house I see it everywhere, the clutter, the knickknacks, the paraphernalia, the this, the that, the unnecessary stuff, piles and piles of it everywhere, in every room. It's driving me nuts and I've got to find a way to get rid of it!
Today I'm going to make myself a minimalist! Here are some of the things I want to do:
Get a smaller home.
Get rid of the unnecessary.
Limit hoarding the sentimental.
Clear out clutter and reduce the amount of unnecessary possessions.
Grow a little greener and a lot less wasteful.
Eat less.
Eat healthier.
Figure out what’s necessary.
Be content with less.
Buy less.
Simplifying schedules, work, and live a less stressful life.
Create a minimalist workspace, home, computer, financial life, diet and fitness program.

I took up Yoga a few weeks ago. I love Yoga! I love anything reflective of nature, I want to live closer to her and reading all of these inspiring ideas feels good. I'm going to start getting rid of everything I don't really need and use. I said to Glade, "Say goodbye to the junk, dear!" That day I cleaned out the drawers in our night stands. Glade could not tell me of one item I removed from the drawers on his side of the bed. I couldn't get over how good it felt to walk out of my room now clutterless.
And so the parting continues, I know I'm going to be amazed at what I don't miss. This week I was so proud of myself. I had to drive down to the Apple store in the Gateway Mall and since my closet right now is bursting with clothes I never wear, I was not tempted to enter into one clothing store. For me that was nothing short of a miracle.
I think I'm going to have a party and invite the world over. Then I'm going to give them monopoly money and tell them to buy up all my junk and clutter." Do you think it would work? I want the sea of things to leave my house and roll into yours!  LOL!
Yesterday Kaedell came over and I tried to send Eden home with an old toy suitcase Des had thrown out. Kids'll take anything right, so I saw an opportunity. Kadie abruptly stopped me. "I know your tactics mother, you are not sending that home with Eden!" Well, I learned a long time ago it's easier to haul something to your kids house and then let them worry about what to do with it than actually have to dispose of it myself. it's less painful that way.  If I take my junk to one of my kids, then it's like it's not really gone, after I forget about it, who cares what they do with it! Dang, they're on to me!
So here's to minimalism and living a minimalistic lifestye! I'm going to take on this new philosophy and live it, that way, I too will love my fate to the very core and rind and when I come to die, I will know I really lived!

Happy Anniversary Man With A Drill, Love Woman With A Camera!

I wondered as I sat down to compose this post, how many words are in the English language?
There is absolutely no sensible answer to this question. It is impossible to count the number of words in the English language, I mean after all, what counts as a word? Is dog one word, or two (a noun meaning 'a kind of animal', and a verb meaning 'to follow persistently')? If we count it as two, then do we count inflections separately too (dogs plural noun, dogs present tense of the verb). Is dog-tired a word, or just two other words joined together? Is hot dog really two words, since we might also find hot-dog or even hotdog written in two different ways?
It is also difficult to decide what counts as 'English'. What about medical and scientific terms? Latin words used in law, French words used in cooking, German words used in academic writing, Japanese words used in martial arts? Do you count Scots dialect? Youth slang? Computing jargon?
Then there are words people just make up on a daily basis, like the word bazillion. I love that word. Where did it come from? And the other day I was on Facebook and my cute little friend said she was conflustered. Wow, I tucked that word into my vocabulary for a rainy wordless day. Words fascinate me!
The Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use, add 47,156 obsolete words to that number. Then you can go on to add 9,500 derivative words included as sub entries. Over half of these words are nouns, about a quarter adjectives, and about a seventh verbs; the rest is made up of interjections, conjunctions, prepositions, and suffixes. I could go on all day here in my determination of a number no one can really pin point exactly.
What's the point of all this. Of a bare minimum of 228,132 words in the English language, which one's do I choose today to express the ups and downs of 33 years of marriage and the love behind it all?
I'm married to 'Man with a drill.' He's a great guy most of the time. Then there are those days when I am so agitated, time spent in prison and the means of how to obtain a jail cell look inviting!
I am 'Woman with a camera', a temper, a lack of patience, but I am also a woman who is so passionate about life and how it should be lived I can't breath some days. I'm deep not shallow, I'm determined not stubborn, I am emotional to a degree most people don't understand, but only because I truly know what it's like to feel unloved, to feel unimportant, and to see the present wasted. I've had experiences that have left an indelible mark on me, a mark that has imploded great wisdom into my frame.
33 years ago I made a choice. I stood in the hallway on the 2nd floor of the Ogden Temple. I was holding Glade's hand waiting to walk into our sealing room, waiting to walk into a life I could barely dream of. I remember it like it was yesterday. His hand was damp, cold, clammy, and uninviting. My hand was alive, hot, dry, and excited for the future. I couldn't wait to leave my old life behind and take on this new one. I was filling a sad and lonely hole in me that day, and I couldn't wait. My life long goal was to have a 'Happy Home' and here I stood looking in at a beautiful dream, just minutes away from kneeling in front of it and the man I loved! My soul was anything but scared.
Glade must have sensed that day, in some real fashion that he was never going to get an 8 course meal ever again. He was leaving the house of homespun luxury. No more hot breakfasts consisting of eggs piled high with bacon, or lunches packed in a sack with serious immensity. He had to of known there would be no more pie plates piled high with fat, protein, and carbohydrates left waiting in the fridge every night if he were going to be ten minutes late; pie plates warmed and served up by loving hands tending to his every whim the minute he got home. I tease him. I tell him his hand was cold and clammy that morning because he knew deep inside that day, hell was comin' and I was comin' with her. Hahahahahah! I still remember the first morning he asked me, "Where's breakfast?"
"I don't know," I politely replied. "Did you fix it yet?" I mean after all, I grew up on a farm with no boys. My mom was busy doing a man's work. I lived in a home where your soul goal was to survive. That meant if you wanted food you fixed it yourself. I do remember my mom cooking when I was young but then I turned 15 and I was on my own in the breakfast department, lunch too, and lots of time supper.
I also saw something growing up as a child that cemented my way of being in an unshakable stance. I watched my mom wait on my dad hand and foot my whole entire life. If we were sitting at the table and the bread sat a measly six inches away from my dad's fingers, she would have to jump up butter and prepare it and place it gently in the palm of his lazy little hand. Some days I wanted to ask her, "Why don't you just put a bib on him and spoon feed him."
My dad was a great man in many respects, but I saw how my mom waited on him hand and foot every stinking day of her life and I saw everything she  never got for it.  It didn't take me long as a kid to figure out, I'm sure as hell not goin' there! It took me a long time to realize after I was married I could be nice to my husband and he wouldn't be loud and violent! Some things just never leave you, so this is something I always have to remind myself, "Be nice to your husband, he won't abuse you."
I could go on and on with all of those words found in the English language that describe the worst of me and the worst of Glade. Some days he might say I'm meaner than a badger in a fox hole, but I'm here to tell you Glade has some acrimonious, cantankerous, caviling, censorious, ignoring, deprecating, disparaging, peevish, petulant, irritable finky quirks that rival mine in every way.
Everybody just thinks he's a nice guy and I'm a mean old witch. But then they don't live with us. No one ever sees all there is to see.
Now I didn't come here today to point out Glade and I"s faults even though that's what I've been doing. As you can see we both have more than our share. What I want to stress today is the fact that I've been married to Glade for 33 years and in those 33 years despite those debilitating faults, it's been one hell of a great ride! ONE I WOULD NOT TRADE!!!  Together we have seen the very best and the absolute worst of each other. We've battled up hills that were so steep I wanted to quit and cash it in. Despite those bad times, we've seen good times that have brought us the most fulfilling happiest moments we've ever hoped to have. Despite the bad, we've seen the beauty of love in ways few can describe.
In raising a family and trodding down the marital path, we've seen it all. We buried a baby together and somewhere in that experience we learned we have to continue to work to bury the worst that lies within us. Somewhere we've learned we can always come back to the good. I can thank my Heavenly Father for that. He always sees us through!
I've always been grateful for change even when Glade and I think change is impossible. We both battle ourselves in different ways. The great thing that brings me alive today is the fact that we keep battling, we keep digging, and in doing so we keep finding the best there is to find in each other. We are dedicated to each other, we held hands and made a vow across an alter, we love each other, and like my parents who never once thought of ending their marriage, (even when some days I thought they should have,) we are not quitters! We're in this for the long haul. Our goal is an eternal one. We are hell bent, and always Heaven guided!
So while these three little words "I LOVE YOU" might sound so trite when I say them, for 33 years they have been fashioned with blood, sweat, and tears and they hold something so inexpressible in me. In the meager 228,132 words in the English language that I have to chose from today, I just can't find all the right one's to tell 'Man with a drill' how much 'Woman with a Camera' loves him!
I love you Glade and no matter what, I always will!  You are a wonderful man. You are such a hard worker. You are kind and generous in so many ways. Today I am so glad you belong to me! Happy Anniversary! Thanks for not letting go of my hand that day. Thanks for holding on to it in the face of earth shaking fear. Thanks for leading me into a holy place and for not backing out. Thank you for staying true, dedicated, and always going the distance with me, and most of all, thanks for being the best choice in my life I could have ever made!

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Are you sick of soup yet, cause I'm not. I think in the winter I cook soup four nights out of five. Ok, ok, so I don't cook five nights in a row sometimes. Well, I do love soup.  I can't help it, it's so good, it's so quick to fix, it's soothing, and with this glummy weather, what's not to like? Soup to me is like a dose of the sun in my grandma Berret's big stainless steel pot! I'm a person who desperately needs the sun and when I can't get any outside, at least I can symbolically dish a bowl up on a freezing cold day! Here's the latest goody I tried. All I can say is . . . YUM!
Ingredients
1 lb. boneless chicken breast tenders
2 32 oz. cartons of chicken broth
2 cups water
1 large onion, peeled and left whole
1 clove of garlic, peeled and left whole
1 pkg. fresh spinach
3 or 4 carrots, shredded or sliced thin, your choice
1 pkg. (I used 19 oz.) frozen cheese tortellini

Instruction
Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan. Season the chicken with your favorite seasoning. Check out Emeril's Original Essence. Just bought me some of this good stuff. It's an all purpose seasoning to use for just about anything. You're gonna luv, luv, luv it! Season the chicken liberally and brown it well on both sides. Remove to cool.
In a large soup pot, pour in the two cartons of chicken broth and water, add the whole onion and garlic clove, and the sliced or shredded carrots, cover, cook slowly and allow the onion and garlic to become soft. In the meantime, shred the cooled chicken into bite sized pieces.
When the onion and garlic are nice and soft, remove and discard them. The idea here is to flavor the broth but not have any pieces of onion or garlic floating around in your finished soup. (Seth is going to love this! He hates onions in anything. Finally a recipe made just for you Seth!) Add the shredded chicken, spinach and tortellini. Give it a gentle stir, cover and let it simmer through until the spinach is all wilted and the tortellini are nice and soft, just a few minutes. Some of the Emeril's Essence will come off the chicken and will flavor the soup so that you won't have to add any extra salt, pepper or any other seasonings. Serve in big bowls and offer a sprinkling of Parmesan if you like. How easy is that?

January Ellis Update!

January was over before it started! I am excited about that! Usually January is the longest month of the year for me so I am happy that it just flew right on by. Here are a few things we did in January (not much).
Corbin decided that snow was fun to snack on while outside playing--as long as it isn't yellow:)

Eden made waffles all by herself one morning. The only thing I helped with was the cooking part. They were yummy! She loves to cook and bake with mommy!

Burrrrrrrr.........

Corbin moved up in Primary. He got his CTR ring and is trying to remember to make good choices everyday and remind others to do the same. Today, Eden kept spilling her water. I got after her and said in a frustrated tone of voice, "Eden, STOP spilling your water! Watch what you are doing and be careful." Corbin looked at me and said, "Is that how Jesus would talk mom?" Thanks Corbin:)

Eden striking a pose in her little hula skirt! She loves to put on her skirts, turn on the music, and twirl.

New bunk beds for Corbin and Eden. We took down the crib and now Eden has been enjoying her "freedom". No more sleeping behind bars. It was an adjustment at first. She fell off the bed about three nights and she still likes to sneak out of bed. She is our night owl. Always falling asleep after Corbin and waking up before him!

Potty Time! Eden has started going in the potty. She is great at going #1, but she went #2 one day and seriously it scared her to death. Corbin and I were clapping and cheering, but she just sat there with a timid little look on her face and then said, "don't like it." Unfortunately, that was the first and last time that she went poop in the potty. Oh, the joys of potty training!

Eden's artwork! She came to me one morning and said, "Mommy, this is you!" Keep practicing Eden and maybe one day you will be good like your aunt Desi:)

Winter Walk

Cell Phone Brain Tumor?

Des is on her cell phone constantly.  Luckily she spends most of her time texting, and I'm not worried about her fingers growing tumors, her brain however is another story! Teenager's brains, as is evident from their sometimes idiotic behavior, (sorry Des) are not as developed as ours.  Why is this relevant?  Because according to Dr. Oz and a doctor from the University of Utah named Dr. Orn Ghandi, the radiation from cell phones penetrates into the head of a child much deeper than an adult and can cause damage.
Does this mean cell phone's will cause tumors in my cute little daughter, or me for that matter?  I don't know, but the fact is there are minds immeasurably superior to mine who think they might.  One doctor I read even said that we may be at the beginning of an epidemic of cell phone induced tumors.
So what can I do?  Neutralize the radiation.  That’s it.  I'm going to buy the niftiest thing-a-ma-jig ever, an Xzubi. It's so cool! It sticks right to your phone, you don't even notice it.  What does it do? It neutralizes the radiation.  The cost for this brain saving device, only 14.99, that's it. Dirt cheap by today's standard don't you think?  I'm buying one for Des and Goose, maybe I'll buy one for the rest of my family too.  I decided the way my brain functions, I shouldn't bother (hahaha). 
So, if I’m wrong, it was 15 bucks, but if I’m right and this technology becomes standard in the industry, and they find tumors growing everywhere, I've protected the people I love :) Yes I know, I'm a good mother!
Check out this link for Xzubi! 

Today's Quote

"If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting!" ~Chieko Okazaki

It Was Number One On My Bucket List

The add read, Keynote Speaker Terrence C. Smith, M.D. Friday, October 3, 2008 8:50 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. “For the Power is in Them — Finding Peace in Tribulation." I was so dissapointed when I discovered this invitation a day late because C. Terry Warner is an all time favorite of mine.
For those of you who don't know C. Terry Warner, he is a retired Brigham Young University professor and author. He wrote one of the most powerful books I've ever read, "Bonds That Make Us Free: Healing our Relationships, Coming to Ourselves."
For some of you that might not know, he is also the founding father of the renowned Arbinger Institute, which is based from his academic work on the foundations of human behavior.  The Arbinger Institute is a widely respected group that devotes itself to helping organizations, families, and individuals.
Dr. Warner is an amazing man. He and his wife, Susan, have ten children and live in Provo, and while he might hold the status of being retired from BYU, this man is anything but retired! He continues to write, speak, and work from behind the scenes in the Arbinger Institue which is becoming world renowned by the way.
In his writings and seminars, Dr. Warner argues that individuals are responsible for their own actions, including their own emotions, and therefore have the power to free their relationships with others from negativity.
In a recent article regarding his philosophies and the impact of those philosophies the BYU Magazine audience, sums up his message this way: 
"When we do what we feel is wrong, we can't help experiencing the world in a negative way. We convince ourselves that others are making it hard for us to treat them right, when the truth is that the fault is our own. This makes us so insecure that the world becomes a threatening place. We grow anxious and self-concerned and think the solution to our problems is to fix or avoid the people with whom we're finding fault. And needless to say, they usually find fault with us in return. The process damages our relationships and destroys our peace. 
"But, mercifully, the truth that will guide us aright is always available. It comes to us through the Spirit of Christ, the faces of others, the innocence of children, and the beauty and bountifulness of nature. All these things call upon us to treat them generously and reverently. And when we yield ourselves to that call, when we live truthfully, we see things as they really are. 
"Having ended our self-betrayal, we no longer have any reason to take offense, to find fault, and to worry about ourselves. Our heart has softened so that we can resonate with others' burdens and joys." 
Believers typically say that by studying Warner's ideas, they discover ways they hadn't before imagined in which the gospel provides solutions for painful problems within themselves and with others. "Terry's work shows the absolute psychological and emotional necessity of constantly living for, listening to, and following the Spirit," says Craig Horton, a southern California psychotherapist and an area coordinator for the Church Educational System. 
Equally, Warner's work centers around the importance of a change of heart, says W. Duane Boyce, '74. "When I undergo a change of heart, I become alive and responsive toward other people. I see other people to be just as real as I am. One way to describe Terry's breakthrough is to say that he discovered that self-deception is not a matter of cognition—we don't deceive ourselves by something we tell ourselves; self-deception is not telling little lies to ourselves. It's to be in a false way of being. And we can be drawn out of that false way of being by allegiance to the spirit of truth."

Being a relationship expert Dr. Warner believes that constant concern about oneself is a great burden, whereas self-forgetfulness is freedom in relationships. To see others as the problem, Dr. Warner states, 'is' actually the problem. That may be overstating the truth some, given that even if we were to cease seeing those around us as the problem, there may still be a problem. But the important point of Dr. Warner's idea is that until we see others in a nonlabeling, nonaccusatory way, we cannot see the truth about them, and thus we really don’t see the starting point for solutions to real problems.
If, for example, I decide in advance that you are to blame for something, I am not granting the possibility that someone else may be responsible for the problem. If you are already my chosen target, then I will see in you and in the situation whatever confirms my decision about you. Thus, once I see you as difficult, or as having no direction, or as being the kind of person who isn’t aware of his or her own ignorance, I am looking for proof of that position, not for facts.
"Some things are only real because they represent what we think. When we learn the truth and think it, the old reality is no longer real to us and loses its hold on us. The truth sets us free."
I'm not sure when I started to love this man and his philosophies, maybe after I tried applying them in my life, but for several years now I have collected his work and I am continually fascinated by it. There isn't anything this man has written or produced that I don't own and haven't read several times. His work is a philosophy that I come back to every time I get stuck in a problem with another human being. If this man has a talk in print, I've copied it.  If this man has written a book, I've bought it and read it more than once. I have long seen the wisdom in his inspirational messages. What intrigues me about Dr. Warner's philosophies is the meaning behind them. His philosophies are Christ centered and the core of all Christ teaches us to be. Which must explain why these philosophies are so difficult to live by and why I keep having to re-read and study them continually. To me, his work just gives definition to the scriptures and all of Christs teachings. Thanks to this man and his work He has helped me to see with greater understanding how we can convert our way of being to really represent our Savior.
Take a minute and visit the Arbinger Institute. There are talks there that can be printed off at no cost. Lots of help in parenting, working with marriage and families, and in all of our personal relationships.
Also maybe you have seen the work of James L. Ferrell. Being a colleague and good friend to Dr. Warner, both have worked side by side with developing Warner's philosophies at BYU.  After Dr. Warner founded the Arbinger Institute, James Ferrell took on the role as managing director of the Institute and shares in Dr. Warner's studies. I also own all of his books, including his most recent book out "The Hidden Christ."
My punch line to this lengthy article is that the other day I got to check off my number one priority on my bucket list (things I want to do before I die.) I got to meet and spend an hour with Dr. Warner, which was no small feet by the way.  It was the greatest day ever!
How this came to be was no coincidence. My Heavenly Father was granting me a blessing, I just know it! I was talking to my good friend Bruce Maw one day on the phone when he mentioned a project he was working on at BYU. Bruce is the sole landscape architect for BYU and the MTC training center and presently he was designing all the outside landscape for the new Joseph F. Smith building. We had been talking about the project when suddenly he said something about a man he was working with that was in charge of overseeing the architect of the inside of the building. That's when I heard the name, "C. Terry Warner."
Immediately, I started stammering, "C. Terry Warner, you are working with C. Terry Warner? Are you kidding me?"  Immediately I went nuts! I started ranting and raving, (you can hear me can't you?) I think the whole neighborhood could hear my enthusiasm as I just kept asking the same question over and over again, stuttering over every syllable as I tried to comprehend that my life long best friend, Bruce Maw,  knew, worked with, saw and spoke to, the one and only C. Terry Warner. I thought I was going to pass out. Not only did he know this man, but they were friends visiting together on a daily basis. I just sat there on the phone drooling over the fact that my best friend, Bruce Maw, was and is friends with the ultimate Philosophy genius ever.
That's when I told Bruce my number one item on my bucket list and that's when I said, "I'd give anything to meet this man in person."
"Really?" Was Bruce's skimpy reply to all my exaggerations. Then he said the words I'll never forget.
"Do you want to have lunch with us?"
Oh my. . .  mother of all get out!!! I nearly hyperventilated holding the phone as I sarcastically questioned, "Do I want to have lunch with you and C. Terry Warner?" I was like . . . "Superior dumb question of all time." Then I think I screamed something casual, like, "Hell yes!" I can't be certain but I think it was something along those lines! I think I might of even thrown in some other colorful adjectives as I was jumping up and down speaking in high volume into the phone as I was thinking about having lunch with non other than C. Terry Warner. For those of you who can't relate, just imagine having lunch with Elvis or some other famous person in history. Meeting this man in person was the ultimate excitement for me.
So I won't bore you with every detail of the meeting, but it was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. I got to sit there and talk with Dr. Warner about all of his ideas, his work, and what he hopes to accomplish in the future.
It was interesting to hear him tell me how his philosophies didn't take root until he and his team members started looking for the answers to age old psychological problems in the scriptures. Yes, all of C. Terry Warner's work is based from and rests on that of the scriptures. That was so fascinating to hear him tell how they discovered answers to problems psychologists have been seeking to understand since time began.
I loved hearing all about his ten children and his one son who is not active in the gospel. I got to see this man and feel his great heart. I got to bask in his intense spirit as I listened to him discuss in detail his own (as he called it,) feeble attempts to live the philosophies he teaches. In short I've never had a little over an hour go by so fast in my whole life.
As we finished up Dr. Warner asked me if I'd like a tour of the Joseph F. Smith building. Yup, me walking the corridors of the Joseph F. Smith building alongside C. Terry Warner and my good friend Bruce Maw. It was a day I'll never forget! It was fascinating to learn how Dr. Warner's visions for the inside of the building meshed with Bruce's visions for the outside. I could write another long blog article just on the way that building took shape, it's spectacular as well.

Well, I drove home that day feeling like I just spent the day with the queen. So much so that is took me forever to figure out how to write it all down here on the blog. I'd like to mention here that Dr. Warner does not like acclamations. He is a humble man who likes to stay out of the spot light. So the fact I got to have this meeting at all is remarkable.  

Just before the day ended Dr. Warner was reading a caption under one of the pictures there in the Joseph Smith building. He needed to borrow my reading glasses. After he'd finished reading he put my glasses in his pocket. Then he forgot all about them. As I walked away I just smiled knowing I had just given up my favorite reading glasses to a man I have so much respect for. It was a smug smile, thinking about the moment in time he might realize what he'd done. 

I just laughed at the commonness of this great man as we shook hands and parted. I spent the rest of the day touring the campus, Bruce showing me all of his work there. It was beautiful. As I finished my tour of the grounds our last stop ended in Bruce's office.  As we walked in there on his desk sat my reading glasses and a note from Dr. Warner. 

The note read, "Bruce, Faye's glasses! My fault - I automatically put them in my pocket! Signed, Terry. I have that note now. It's bound in a book with all of his other work, a reminder of my great, stupendous, wonderful, and memorable day!       

The final photo here is of the Joseph F. Smith building. Look how the mountains are reflected in the glass. Just part of good architect planning from two great men! Thanks Bruce for a day in my life I'll never forget and thank you C. Terry Warner for exemplifying a generous heart!

A Budding Artist

The other night Des called me up in her room to show me a picture she'd finished. Des loves art. She loves to draw and paint and she is developing a real gift here.
This picture was her latest art project at school. The project was a lesson in pastels. Des had never worked with pastels before, this picture you see above is her first attempt working with this new medium.
The picture was drawn from a 4x6 photo of Goliath that has long hung on my fridge. That night when I walked into her bedroom and she held up her work, I stood in complete shock. At first I thought she was going to tell me it was a picture she was going to copy or try to reproduce. When she told me this was 'HER' work, I just stood there with my chin on the floor. When she told me it was her first attempt at pastels, my mouth just hung open even wider. The last bit of information that overwhelmed me was the fact that this was not a project she had been working on all week, no, she'd been in her room for a couple of hours and this is what she had been doing.
Last week Des took her project to school to show her art teacher, she wanted to add a few touches to the outer area around Goliath before she submitted it for a grade. Her art teacher loved it as well as the intern from Weber State University, that is also presently teaching in Deserey's art class. That day as both teachers admired Des's work an art professor from Weber State just happened to walk in and join the class, he had come from Weber State to check up on the intern. Des said he came over to see her work. Long story - short. . . he was so impressed with Des and her project, he stood in praise for sometime. The last thing he said to her was, "Girl, you've got a real gift with pastels. You should pursue this." Des was pretty happy with some serious acclamations from a university professor.
After school that day we talked about her exciting day in class and her love for art. I had to laugh when she said, "I just don't want to go to college and draw naked bodies!"  Well Des, art does have a wild side when you are studying it at higher levels, but study it indeed because God has blessed you with real talent.
I'm so proud of her! Looking at this picture just makes water form and seep right out of those tiny ducts that reside in the corner of each eye. I only wish I could show it to Goliath, I think he'd be down right taken with himself!  It is a beautiful work of art Des! I can't wait to frame it and hang it on my wall! I was so touched by your abilities and your special gift. It's inspiring and gorgeous! Great job!

Low Fat Turkey Soup

Sorry everyone!!! I copied down the recipe incorrectly.  Thanks Robynn for catching my goof! I must have been trying to multitask! Hope someone hasn't tried to make it yet! Here is the corrected recipe. (corrected 2-4-2010)

Anyone tired of the weather yet? For these grungy winter days, you're going to love this soup recipe.
Lean Ground Turkey Soup

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 medium onions, chopped
2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 large carrots, chopped
3 14oz cans of beef broth (I usually make my own)
1 26 oz jar of favorite spaghetti sauce (I use homemade)
1 16oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 1/2oz can great northern beans rinsed and drained
1 14 1/2oz can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 cup uncooked small shell pasta (it doesn't really matter, I used whatever is around)
Brown turkey and onions, drain excess grease. Add zucchini and carrot, cook and stir one minute longer. Add remainder of ingredients, except noodles. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 min. Cook pasta according to directions and add it at the end. Serve and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

It's a good idea to wait until about 20-25 min before the soup is done to add the zucchini. Then it is not mushy.
This recipe is complements of my cute friend Robynn Hill Spencer. Thanks Robynn, just keep sending me these yummy recipes. I luv', luv', luv' this one!

To Walk or To Run?

1 hour, 30 minutes, and 9 seconds. That's how long it took Olga Kaniskina of Russia to win the women's 20-kilometer Race Walk Gold Medal in a dominating start-to-finish performance in wet conditions at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. For those of you who are wondering just how far 20 kilometers measures out to be, it's 12.43 miles, just short of a 1/2 marathon. That means Miss Olga was pounding out just a little over a seven minute mile, if I figured that right. I am impressed!
Back in time, when I was a lot younger, somewhere around 1990, I finished up my last race walk. For about three or four years I entered every race walk I could. Back then they offered the category of race walking with all of the other 5 and 10K events. I never lost a race. I think my long legs had something to do with it but after two or three years, I stopped entering because I didn't want to break my winning streak, I couldn't bear the thought of losing. On my last race, the Ogden 5K I won a hundred dollars and a little shiny medal. After the race I had a gentlemen approach me and ask me if I wanted to train to be an Olympic race walker. I started laughing, I thought he was joking, but turned out, he was dead serious. He said I had good form and speed. After I asked him if I could bring along my five kids, he wondered if I was joking. I was not joking! That was the end of that.
Today I had an afflatus! Why am I trying to run? I hate running. I love walking! Des thinks I should train to race walk the marathon. Anyone who walks with any speed can tell you it's really hard to maintain a fast paced speed and not break into a jog.
Me oh my! I can't decide what to do, but seeing Olga with those swaying hips makes me want to reconsider my strategy. I timed myself today. Took me 12 min to walk one mile without jogging one single step. I'd be thrilled if I could sustain a 12 min mile for 13 miles, but I don't think that's going to happen. Of course I did stop to consider I could go alot faster if I weren't wearing 20 layers because it's freezing cold running in the dead of winter.
I better think this over.

Bear Lake 1/2 Marathon

Since I'm epicurious, I'm printing this picture off and putting it on my fridge, a blatant reminder to keep my fat gluteus maximus out! A year ago I said I wanted to run the Bear Lake 1/2 marathon. Why did I say that? Time is fast approaching, and June will be here tomorrow. I'm so nervous I can barely sleep at night and it's only January 27th
I don't know what psychotic notion led me to even entertain a bazaar idea of running a 1/2 marathon. It's a known fact, I hate running. I'm the girl who had asthma! And besides, despite the asthma, I grew up on a horse. Why run when you can sit your dimpled white cheeks in a saddle and the horse can run for you! Did I tell you, I didn't play softball as a kid because there wasn't anyway of getting around the bases without running! I've decided I must have some deep seeded fear I'm going to turn into a pumpkin, or maybe it's just watching my mom sit in a chair everyday. What ever the cogitation,  some strange force now posses my inner vessels and I have to run.
Misery loves company so I'm begging any suckers to sign up with me. Gavin made some comment to me over the phone about signing up, but then he said he didn't want to make me feel bad when he blew right past me. I told him I'd pay his entrance fee just to stand on the side of the road at mile marker 10 and watch him pass out from all those years of gut laden Mt. Dew abuse! Laugh my A double S off! Oh the joy of seeing your children suffer!
Caroline said she'd do it! I didn't believe her at first. My first thought was, "You got to be kidding me." Serious, my thoughts kept going over the same idea, "Caroline, why would you want to run a 1/2 marathon, are you nuts?"  I slapped myself out of this pattern of thinking, realizing she might be the only fool willing to join. After that I gave her nothing but praise and adoration, keeping my practical thoughts about 1/2 marathons a secret! I hung up the phone so excited that someone loves me enough to die with me hahahahaha!
Seth said he'd sign up if Gavin did. Then he gave some smug response about how Gavin hates running and could never go without his Mt. Dew and that made it safe for him to make his slight feeble offer.
Ok people, you're all invited! Anyone want to join in this craziness? Come on... it's going to be fun! I"ll print you off a training schedule and you can train and leave your mother in the dust on the day of the race! That should give you some pleasure.
Now if my foot will only hold out. I made the mistake of wearing the wrong shoes when I added running to my power walking routine. I give serious advice here. Never, never, never ...run in the wrong shoes! Your shoes should be a complete size and a half bigger than you normally wear. Last May I sustained a slight stress fracture in my right foot. Between biking, running and power walking, I nursed it along most of the summer but I know it's there and every night I just pray it will cooperate as my routine intensifies.
I've been a power walker for 21 years and I know I can power walk it (no problem,) so how come it's scaring the b'eejeebees out of me! Hal Higdon, who has run over 100 marathons, writes, "In a marathon, you don't beat others. (Like I even could, duh) Instead, you achieve a personal victory." It is a very personal event, each participant having their own goal to achieve, often just to finish. Yup, I just want to finish... oh,  and be able to walk to my car where I can drive to the nearest morgue LOL. Pray for me will you?