Nauvoo, Day 3

I thought I would toss and turn fitfully all night thanks to the noisy boys upstairs and the creaky bunk beds surrounding me, but it turns out that I was dead to the world until my alarm went off the next morning. While the other chaperons milled around, hit snooze, and prepared for showers; Sister H and I were off to prepare yet another meal-the last one we were responsible for on the trip. On the menu was cinnamon rolls (pre-cooked and frozen and only needing to be heated and frosted), cereal, fruit, and juice. I gave myself the job of keeping cups of juice filled and on the ready because I did not trust myself to use the commercial oven OR to handle a large bag of frosting without making a mess. I was impressed with all the 'thank you's' I got from various Young Men as they came downstairs dressed and ready to eat.

We were waiting rather anxiously for the first group of girls to arrive from their hotel so they could eat quickly and get to the temple on time for their 8 a.m. session. To accomplish this without panic, they needed to arrive where we were staying by 7:30. The bus pulled up at 7:45. In that first group headed to the temple were the Young Women from Blanchard as well as President C and his wife. While the boys in the first group started to load the bus to leave, Sister K and I grabbed muffins and juice bottles and raced to the bus so the girls and their leaders would at least have breakfast 'to go.' Admittedly, I was biased to make sure that they ate something because people I knew and loved were in that group-but I don't think that bothered the rest of the girls who also benefited from our actions. Once that bus departed we got slammed with the rest of the girls who had just come from the hotel and didn't have to leave for another hour. Their noise must have awakened the rest of the boys who were sleeping because suddenly we were very busy for the next half hour. And somewhere in there, Sister H made the request I had feared all morning, "Melessa-can you ice the last pan of cinnamon rolls?" Well...I could try. All I had to do was cut a small corner of the plastic baggie and squirt it all over the rolls, how hard could it be? Did I really need to ask? My "small" corner wasn't small enough and the entire bag of icing globbed out onto about two of the rolls out of the dozens on the cookie sheet. I swore (mildly) under my breath and was relieved to find myself alone in the kitchen when I did. That is to say, I was alone in EMMA SMITH'S kitchen cussing...I am SO going to hell. But, I cleaned up the mess and managed to spread the icing to the rest of the rolls, and that matters a whole lot more to a group of hungry youth than me losing my eternal salvation in order to get them ready. (You all do know I'm kidding, right?)

Once the chaos subsided a little, Sister H and I got to take our showers. For all its aesthetic shortcomings, the Nauvoo House STILL had hot water even though we were the last two people staying there to get cleaned up that morning. Yay hot water! I could have lived without one of the Young Men chaperone's trying to bust in there and start cleaning while the facilities were still clearly in use, but nothing truly embarrassing happened so it was all good-and also, I was showered and CLEAN! Having showered before us, Sister K was leading the clean up effort and all we had to do was dress, pack, and load the bus. Sadly, THE BEST BUS DRIVER EVER (aka TBBDE) had taken the early group to the temple which meant we had to ride with the grumpy old dude. No Looney Tunes DVD's for us. (TBBDE brought his own from home and showed them whenever we asked-he also came to most of the shows and activities and ate with us-he rocked!) Grumpy Old Dude did get us there early, but then he asked us about a million questions and by the time we had everything settled, Sis H, Sis K, and I had about an hour to shop, see Nauvoo, change, and be present for our 12:00 temple session. We made good use of our time though. There were stops at the Fudge Factory (being in WW mode, I didn't buy any-wah!), a bookstore, and the Nauvoo Public library which I loved. The kids were on their own for lunch and we ate our pre-packed lunches (left over from yesterday's catering) on benches in town, changed in the parking lot bathroom, and arrived at the temple just in time.

As Latter Day Saints, we don't say much about the temple outside of its walls. This isn't because we have weird things to hide from the world, it's because the experiences inside of it are sacred and private and sharing them detracts from their beauty-even for a pathetic little soul like mine who swore in Emma Smith's kitchen not three hours earlier. But I will say that being in the rebuilt temple was a sweet and precious experience for me. Even more so than when I visited the Salt Lake temple in 1996. On my last Nauvoo trip, the temple was under construction and reached my waist. This time, it was completed, dedicated, and beautiful. I didn't get to do much on the trip that wasn't an organizational task of one kind or another and having this be one of the few departures from that made the whole trip worth it. As I said, our focus even in the planning stages of this trip was the temple and I think that became obvious to the youth as well as the leaders as we took our turns attending throughout the morning and early afternoon.

Once the temple activities had concluded, they sent one of the two buses back to collect us and take us to the Visitor's Center. Of course, it was Grumpy Old Dude's bus and he got lost. A five minute drive turned into half an hour and Nauvoo is not a big place (though in its heyday it rivaled the size and population of Chicago at that time). Finally, we parked by the other bus and Sister K, Sister H, and I quickly transferred all our stuff for the ride home onto it. We were technically assigned to that other bus anyway, and I had spent all the time I cared to with Grumpy Old Dude. Once we fed some leftovers to some of the leaders, it was time for the movie in the Visitor's Center. I had never seen it before, but as it focused on the life of Joseph Smith, I guessed that I was already familiar with the subject matter. We got off to a rather bad start when the movie started and it was the ASL version. This meant that a life-sized ASL translator was super-imposed on the screen actually blocking portions of the film as he signed the dialogue for both characters. (One you could see, and one obscured behind him.) It was like a bad SNL skit. We assumed there was someone in the audience who needed that version, but I was glad when a parent left to complain. It turned out that they had simply chosen the wrong version. You know it's bad though, when you ask a group of teenagers if they want to start the movie where it was paused or start the movie over and they want to start completely over. Once we could see the whole picture, the film was incredibly touching. Much more so than I expected from it. I was teary-eyed through most of it, and as the end came I was stunned to see that they had actually filmed much of it in Carthage Jail and that there would be a 'window scene.' I mentioned it yesterday's entry that I could not stand the visual image of Joseph Smith flying out of that window while bullets showered his body from both sides and now it seemed I would have to see it on the big screen. But again, the movie surprised me. Rather than show that scene as an end to his life, they portray it as a new beginning. It's beautiful and I came completely undone as I watched it. (And that's all the detail you will get from me, if you want to know how they filmed it-you will have to watch it yourself.) I was embarrassed when the lights came up and I still hadn't composed myself. It goes without saying that I highly recommend the film.

Once we had all splashed some cold water on our faces, we boarded the bus for the Nauvoo Family Inn and Suites for dinner-they had a buffet. We didn't have to cook. Yay us! The buffet was good, not great, and the company was superb. I also think this is where my family and I will stay on our next Nauvoo trip-I was quite impressed with the place from what I saw and the girls and leaders who stayed there had similarly good reports. After dinner, there was just one stop left; The Seventies Hall for a testimony meeting.

Our group was just a little bit bigger than the building allowed for, so many adult leaders gave up their seats inside to the youth and remained outside in the foyer. My willingness to sit up on the stand with the rest of the Stake YW Presidency and the Stake YM Presidency says that either I have come a long way with being comfortable with my calling or that I just really didn't want to sit on the floor. I think it's a little bit of both. But we all worked very hard to make this trip happen, and I have to say that I didn't mind having a place to sit at the end of it. Despite warm temps in the building and a few flies, the spirit was present as soon as we started singing. I enjoyed hearing the youth's testimonies and was really pleased at how touched most of them had been to attend the temple earlier that morning. That was our focus, and without even telling them that, they still got it. Those kids are all right by me. Even the noisy ones on the buses.

And all too soon, it was over. We were packed back onto our buses and on our way home. Grumpy Old Dude must have been in a hurry because THE BEST BUS DRIVER EVER could barely keep up-and it was raining again. One of the nicer names TBBDE called him was "lead foot." As frustrated as he was, he still laughed at excerpts from "The Home Teachers" that he could hear playing behind him. He asked where he could rent that movie. While it's not my favorite, I hope he finds a one somewhere. I'm pretty sure someone from the trip will send him a copy, we adored him that much. The rest of the trip gets a little fuzzy as I drifted in and out of sleep. At one point, we encountered a BAD wreck and TBBDE found a way around it so that we could keep moving. At another time, TBBDE put on some country music and Sister K and I annoyed the nice couple in front of us with our rendition of "How Do You Like Me Now" by Toby Keith. And then, sadly, we got to Cameron, MO and had to say goodbye to our bus driver. We sure hope he and Grumpy Old Dude didn't have to share a room-they weren't very happy with each other at that point. And judging from the way their company car roared out of the Wal-Mart parking lot, Lead Foot was driving. I hope our BBDE made it back home to Ada safely. And if we ever take another bus trip, I hope we see him again.

We crossed back into Oklahoma as the sun was coming up and watched about half of "The RM." I used to loathe this movie, but seeing it again made me realize that it just hit too close to home once upon a time. The plot of The RM is that a missionary comes home to find his girlfriend engaged to someone else, his friends changed, and his family moved on from where they were when he left, and he has to figure out where to go from there. The first time I saw it, I criticized it for showing every Mormon cliche' ever coined, but now I know that what I really didn't like about it was how much it mirrored my own experiences when I came home from Italy. I must be over that now because this time I thought the movie was cute. Still not an Oscar winner, mind you, but enjoyable just the same. And just like that, we were back in the church parking lot. We were hot, tired, and staggering around on swolled ankles; but our moods were good. One girl hugged Sis H, Sis K, and I and thanked us for our hard work. It was worth the one hug and 'thank you.' It was worth everything. Still, I was glad to get into my car and drive home and collapse into my comfortable bed awakened only by my own family arriving home from Tennessee a few hours later. It was a long, strange, and wonderful week and one that I doubt will be forgotten any time soon. Thanks for reading about it.

The End.

Nauvoo, Day 2 Pt. 2

"I KNOW about your blog." What does that even mean? It's a public blog, I talk about it all the time, it's no secret. So why did I feel so caught off-guard? I guess because I spend so much of my life flying under people's radars that I'm surprised when I get noticed. The youth leader in question spotted my blog when a Google Alert (I have one for Muppets and one for Sooner Football-a gal has to have her priorities) told him I had mentioned his father-in-law in a previous post. It was the one about Girls' Camp when my early morning devotional was unexpectedly attended by the three Priesthood leaders (who are supposed to go to BED once their overnight guard duty is done, and are definitely NOT supposed to attend the morning devotional of an extremely introverted, sleep-deprived, woman who had to write one out in haste the night before-just in case they didn't know that). One of them is, indeed, the son-in-law of one of the counselors in the First Presidency. I won't say who lest I set off another Google alert, and also because it really doesn't matter that much to me (unless I'm feeling very tired and insecure about the material I'm discussing). I'm not saying that the First Presidency itself doesn't matter, I'm saying that in addition to being the leaders of our church, they also have lives and families and are probably very normal people when they aren't standing at the pulpit on Sundays. I've always thought of the daughter and son-in-law fondly, even before I realized who her father was because they are lovely people. When I first met them, they fell into the third of three categories that I have for newlyweds in our church. Wanna hear what they are? Do you have a choice? Alas no:

#1-The Oh-My-Goodness what were they thinking getting married? How long is THAT gonna last?

I think my husband and I were placed in that category by many. I also think I should have placed my best friend and her first husband in that category if I had any sense when I was 22.

#2-So annoyingly glued to each other that I think I'm going to be sick watching them.

'Nuff said

#3-That makes sense. What a great couple!

Anyway, I first met this couple at Youth Conference a few years ago when serving in the Young Women's program was new and novel to me. They were definitely a #3 couple and what I liked most about her was that, while obviously a Utah transplant, she did not refer to Oklahoma as a desolate wasteland. (Just a note to those of you who may move here from "Zion"-we lifelong Okies do NOT like to hear our home state mocked from the church pulpit. "Zion" is wherever the saints are gathered and there are plenty here in Oklahoma.) In fact, she said that Oklahoma boys were "cute" because she married one. I liked hearing that because so did I. When I later learned who her father was, it wasn't a huge surprise because she is quite lovely and like category #3, that just made sense. I don't know her husband as well, but if she chose him, he has to be OK. And the youth seem to like him which tells me a lot too. (I tend to judge men I don't know well by the caliber of their wives and their ability to cope with toddlers or teens. Seriously. And it's a pretty accurate radar.)

So, I guess I felt a little silly that this particular person caught me writing about him even if it was to say that I had done a very bad job with my morning devotional in front of him and a handful of other people that I would rather see me when I'm at my best. (When exactly is that anyway?) I think that broke the tension and probably made Sister K curious about my blog since she witnessed the whole exchange and was, fortunately, right there to change the subject. (Hi Sister K, Hi Brother J-nothing but love for you both!!) Before long, to my relief, it was time to grab our seats for the pageant.

The pageant was moving and wonderful. The storyline had changed and the church seems to be going through a bit of a Scottish phase right now. Since my husband comes from the Clan McGregor and my own maiden name was originally McLaren (and my mom's was McLaughlin) I am OK with the new fad-but we sure did hear a lot of bagpipes over the weekend and I can see it getting old in a few more months. Following the pageant, it was extremely important to get all of the youth back onto the buses so that The BEST BUS DRIVER EVER (and his grumpy counterpart on the other bus) could get to their hotel for the night. By law, we had to give them 8 hours off and since we needed them to take the youth to the temple early in the morning; we needed to send them home before 11 p.m. As the show ended, it was announced that we could come to the stage to meet cast members. Well, that was all good, but we needed to board and go to our hotels so our drivers could go to theirs. Unfortunately, the cast decided to come to us and some of them even GOT ON OUR BUSES to try and get the kids to fill out more referrals for them. I am a returned missionary. I get it about member referrals, really and truly. BUT there is also a time and place. They had wandered through our group getting referrals before the show and for our group, that was the appropriate time and place. I was relieved that I wasn't the only leader feeling slightly annoyed with them. It also broke up the really serene and emotional spirit that had pervaded our group when they took their final bows. I think they should have left well-enough alone, but that's just me. Either way, I was VERY relieved that we all managed to get back to the hotels when we needed to because the whole purpose in choosing Nauvoo as our Youth Conference destination was so that the kids could do baptisms in the temple. The pageant was just a perk, not the main focus, and as grumpy as the other bus driver was, there would have been quite a few scheduling snafus the following morning if they had arrived at their hotel even one minute later than the time he wanted to get there.

It may be sacrilegious to say this, but the Nauvoo House is NOT my first choice of overnight accommodations. It was one step up from the bus, but only because I could stretch my legs out completely. The boys sleeping on the floor above us were loud (they called it a "demented male slumber party"), the bunk beds we were sleeping on sounded like they might fall anytime anyone rolled to the right or left, and my mind was troubled by whether or not someone with a leadership position in the stake has any right keeping a blog as detailed as mine. During my prayers, I asked my Father in Heaven what He thought I should do, and as I drifted off to sleep, I got my answer. My patriarchal blessing is very specific, much more so than many (or so I'm told-I've only ever read mine). I don't read it as often as I used to because so much of it has now come to pass already, but one line from it that I had forgotten jumped out at me that night: "Find an audience and share your thoughts for you have a gift for expressing yourself through writing." I used to think it meant that I would one day be a published author. I'm not sure about that anymore. But, I do have an audience. And so, the blog stays...

"...we look to our responsible and faithful members to engage personally with blogs, to write thoughtful, online letters to news organizations, and to act in other ways to correct the record with their own opinions...Share your experiences – those from your own life – that show how your values and your faith intersect."

~Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, 21 April 2008

(More tomorrow)

To Whom It May Concern...

I am usually very happy to look at my stat counter and see new readers here. I can see that someone is digging around here right now having done a search on my name and another one within my blog under the keyword "church." (Yes, I can see you. If I'm going to put my life out on the internet, you can be sure I'm not going to do it without closely monitoring who reads it.) I hope you are a friend of mine and I hope you are enjoying what you read. If I didn't want that to happen, I would make this blog password protected. However, I ask you (and anyone else) to remember that all written material here is copyright protected and that my permission is required before it can be copied or reproduced. Thank you for respecting my rights as a writer and thanks for reading.

Nauvoo, Day 2

The rain cleared just as the bus pulled into the Carthage parking lot. Thanks to the help of some good Young Men and their leaders, the card tables were set up, the ice chests were pulled out, and Sister H, Sister K, and I were busily handing out muffins, fruit, granola bars, juice and water. It's amazing how fast you can feed about 120 youth, leaders, and bus drivers when everyone is hungry and tired of sitting on a bus. As quickly as we set things up, we soon found ourselves gathering up the trash, putting away the extras, and going to tour Carthage Jail. I had seen it before, in fact in my pre-blogging days I sent out emails detailing my adventures and I remember doing the Nauvoo trip of 2000 in about 6 installments. Unfortunately, I've changed email addresses and ISP's at least twice since then and no longer have that trip on record anywhere (that's what I get for not printing). What I do remember about my day at Carthage Jail was that 2 1/2 year-old Natalie was at her very worst that day and that for an LDS tourist spot, the only good place to nurse my son had been in my car. Needless to say, participating the Carthage Jail tour without small children is a much more pleasant and moving experience than it is with them.


It was very different to see the tour from the viewpoint of a museum professional than a young mom struggling to keep her kids quiet. Many of the posted signs, verbal cues, and other small details that only someone who works at a historic site would notice leads me to think that we all speak pretty much the same language whether we are paid professionals or full-time church missionaries. (And yes, I can picture Dave and I as missionaries here even more clearly now that I'm home. Which means we really need to learn how to get along before we retire.) It was just interesting to me to be on the other side of it and to see the same tour I saw in 2000 from a whole different perspective. The tour was, of course, quite touching and sad as it always is. We spent more time in the jail cell than I did the first time I was there which was a little disconcerting. (And I'm glad it didn't work that way with my babies in-tow on the first trip, it could have gone quite badly.) When we entered the upstairs bedroom and the tape started, I noticed myself shying away from the window. To read an account of the events leading up to Joseph and Hyrum's deaths at Carthage Jail, I would click here. You can think what you want about the church, but I hope anyone who reads this is in agreement with me that whether you believe Joseph Smith or not, it was absolutely wrong to imprison a man and then leave him to a mob of 200 armed men to be murdered (alongside his brother) in cold blood. Whether in death or in attempt to escape, Joseph's last act was to fall out of the very window I was seated by and I didn't like it. (I mention this only because it is important later) All I could picture throughout the taped presentation was that fall to his death and I found it more upsetting than inspiring.



Soon though, our group's tour had ended and we were headed back to the buses and my thoughts turned, by necessity, to the logistics of feeding everyone at an outdoor venue now that it had (again) begun to rain. Fortunately for us, a grocery store was bringing us boxed lunches and there was a covered pavilion at the Nauvoo State Park. Phew! I got my only visit in with the group that came from my branch while sitting and eating that afternoon. It was very exciting to me that Pres. and Sister C. got to come from Blanchard on the trip as chaperones. It seems to me that those two do all the work and have very little of the fun-they seemed to be glad to be there during lunch and I'm grateful for the ten minutes of talk time we got then because it didn't happen again for the rest of the time we were in Nauvoo.



After lunch, it was obvious that is wasn't going to get any warmer than about 65 degrees that day. Anticipating the mid-80's with the humidity level of a town built right on the Mississippi river, I hadn't packed anything long-sleeved and I wasn't the only one. We decided to ask the fun bus driver if he would take us to the Wal-Mart in Iowa. Of course he would, he rocked. So, the stake leaders, about 1/3 of the kids, and 1/2 of the adults all came along too. Everyone else got to tour Old Nauvoo. Had I known this would be my only chance to do likewise, I might have joined them. But I would have been cold and goodness knows how much I hate that. Instead, I have a new Clark Co. Iowa sweatshirt (and a cute Kermit tee that I happened to spot while shopping) and I got to see the hotel I stayed at on the 2000 trip. Back then, it was the only thing there. Now, there is a Dollar Tree, Super Wal-Mart, McDonald's, and all kinds of other stuff that would have been convenient back in the day. Oh well.



We returned from Keokuk just in time to catch a show at the Visitor's Center and then to go right back to the buses and get everyone checked in to our respective lodgings. The girls were staying at the Nauvoo Family Inn and the boys were at the Nauvoo House owned by the Community of Christ. Since that was where the working kitchen was, that's where the Stake YW Presidency stayed too. I remember joking with my mom on the 2000 trip about how nasty it looked and how I would never want to stay there. I think God must have been listening. In my defense, I was absolutely right. The building itself was clean and incredibly well-preserved for its age. The kitchen was well-stocked and everything was obviously taken care of with a lot of attention. The bunk beds and the bathrooms...well, let's just say it was a good place for the boys to stay and leave it at that. They have added central heat and air in the past 8 years which is good, but it can only work as well as it would when added to any building that was built well more than a century before its invention. What worked better was propping the two old windows up with sticks from outside, but the owners didn't like that. Oh well...at least I'll always have the stories to tell. Once we unpacked, it was time to set up for dinner (yes, my trip completely revolved around making meals and cleaning up after them-it's the recurring theme here). Again, this was catered by the grocery store and all that we had to do was set up, serve, and clean up afterwards. And that was enough by itself-thank goodness we didn't have to do much cooking. Once everything was cleared, it was time to load up the buses again for the evening pageant. They had changed it since I last saw it, something I would usually be excited about-but at this point, what I really wanted to do was curl up on my very uncomfortable (but coveted) bottom bunk and sleep. Did I? Of course not.

We found ourselves back at the Visitor's Center again to put our stuff in the chairs that the Stake YM Presidency had saved for us so that we could wander around the pre-show activities. Just as I took notes of the costumes and hairstyles of the "High Hopes and Riverboats" show from earlier in the afternoon for work purposes, I did likewise while observing the games and activities all around the pageant area. I saw the same games (stilts and 'graces'), but I also saw rag rug braiding, dancing, wood-burning, and a few other things that we don't do. (We have hayrides too, but only on special occasions.) Again, all of it was a lot more interesting to me than it was 8 years ago when my only concern was feeding and calming my children. We sat down a little early and immediately encountered pageant characters. The casting for the pageants is actually pretty neat. Families come down for several weeks in the summer to practice and perform on a volunteer basis. Natalie would love to do this, but I think the whole family has to be talented dancers and singers, not just one daughter out of the 6 of us. Anyway, there seems to be an even bigger focus on missionary work than ever before and I'm afraid a huge group of 120 with only two visitors in the bunch might have been a disappointment. When I was told that referrals get a free CD of the performance, I did give them Mom's name and number. She still talks about the "City of Joseph" pageant 8 years ago and still listens to the CD from it. So, I figured she would like the new pageant soundtrack as well. And she's good at letting the missionaries know her level of interest (and disinterest) in the church when they visit. I just hope she lets me borrow the CD. Still, after a few minutes' visit, I was ready to sit back and talk to Sister H and Sister K again and I really didn't have any other names for them...and yet they kept talking to us. On the drive home we would all agree that it was a bit much. In that moment, we feigned a potty break to get away from our seats (and our visitors) for a minute. And that's when I heard some words from one of the Young Men's leaders that shocked me: "Hey Sister G, I know about YOUR BLOG..."

(to be continued...)

Nauvoo, Day 1

Wednesday started just like every other day had that week. I dragged myself out of bed, left home early because I didn't have to drop anyone off anywhere, and still managed to arrive at work late because my "ten minute" stop at Super Target for last-minute items took a bit longer than planned. The kids' group at work was small and well-behaved and my work day was very uneventful. I came home, cooled off, and finished up my packing. I was still unused to the eerie silence of a house usually filled with six, but kept telling myself to enjoy it while it lasted. Even without the distractions of a husband and four children, I still only left with just enough time to arrive at the church at 8 p.m. so I that could help with the loading and organizing before our 9:oo p.m. departure.

For a change, Mormon Standard Time (the practice of arriving anywhere from 5-15 minutes after the official start time of any activity-a practice I'm told we share with a large number of other denominations) was not in effect and the parking lot was already pretty full when I arrived. Lately, I've felt very insecure about my worthiness and ability to hold a stake calling. Not because I'm hiding any big sins, but because I'm often insecure about my competence at doing anything well. It didn't help that a few people had asked "Why are you going?" at a recent Nauvoo informational fireside. I dreaded loading the buses and preparing because I knew people would have questions, that I likely wouldn't have answers, and then I too would wonder 'Why am I going?" Fortunately, Sister H had a plan and all Sister K and I had to do was help her execute it. By the time I dropped my stuff into a seat on the bus, I was no longer questioning my competency as a leader, I was just glad we were done and ready to leave. I thought sitting and dozing on and off for the next 12 hours or so would be a great way to get some rest and be ready for the rest of the trip. (Are you laughing at me yet? It's OK, I am too.)

It turns out, sitting on a bus for 12 hours isn't as much fun as it was when Mr. B took the 9th and 10th grade Band and Orchestra classes to San Antonio. It takes far less time for my rear-end to hurt than it did back then and I could swear that the bus seats have become far less comfortable. Also, when adults recline their bus seats onto other adults, it's like we were all sleeping in each other's laps. It wasn't pretty, but it was kind of fun. The youth were, needless to say, VERY excited. To take the noise level down a notch or two, we put in a movie: The Best Two Years. I had seen it before, but it was fun to watch it with a big group of people. As I sat there laughing at all the stereotypical Mormon missionary humor, I was pleasantly surprised at all the laughter that surrounded me. As you may have surmised from reading this blog, I've always felt that my conversion to the church was a very solitary matter. I believe that having had a very different upbringing and some very different life experiences give me very little in common with most of the other members of my church with the exception of our beliefs. But in those moments on the bus, I lost that feeling of isolation and difference and felt very much like I was among MY people, God's people; and that staying behind while the rest of my family went to Tennessee so that I could go on this trip was exactly what I should have done. It felt right and even though that bus seat was tiny, cramped, and becoming uncomfortable; it felt like home. As an adult, these moments of absolute clarity and certainty are rare in my life, and I will cherish this one for as long as it remains with me.

Even so, three hours later into the journey, I was sure there was no way I would be getting any sleep before we arrived in Carthage, IL the following morning. My feet were falling asleep, I was unable to stretch my legs completely out without fear of bumping my knees into the seat in front of me (it its reclined position, naturally), and the old tailbone injuries associated with labor and delivery were really beginning to hurt. I wanted to take an Advil (or three), but my water bottle had come loose from my backpack and rolled out somewhere underneath the bus seats between the time we left the church parking lot until we crossed the Oklahoma/Kansas border and I reached for it to find it missing. I didn't want to mess with searching the crowded seats and piles of pillows and blankets to look for it. Quiet hours had been put into effect at the end of the movie, but there is nothing noisier than a bunch of youth trying to whisper. And there were at least four behind me that were hissing quite loudly. I guess I could have shushed them, but they weren't hurting anything, I couldn't sleep anyway, and I had no desire to spoil their fun. As I lament here often, you only get to be that young once. So, I tossed and turned fitfully for several hours. I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I don't remember crossing the Missouri state line, but I did wake up when the new bus driver came on board and as the arrangements were to change there; I knew that's where we had to be.

Our first bus driver was a quiet, good-natured man who wished us well and told us he would see us on our way back. He and the other bus driver (we filled two buses) got to spend the next 48 hours at their motel waiting on us to switch back on the way home. As tired and sore as I already was, when I saw that their motel had an indoor pool, a Wal-Mart, and a bowling alley across the street; I considered bus driving school for a minute or two-then I remembered that I don't even like driving my car, much less a big ol' bus; and abandoned my future career plans immediately. Our new bus driver disregarded the fact that it was about 3 a.m. and greeted us all enthusiastically. I just knew we were going to like this guy-and we did! Not long after he took over, we found some rain. It stayed with us for the rest of the drive. Unfortunately, our driver was following the other bus and that driver was in a hurry. He raced through the slick winding curves and two-lane highways (Nauvoo and Carthage are not exactly on any one's main drag) leaving our poor bus driver with no choice but to try and keep up with him. At this point, I realized that nothing was going to wake Sister K who was asleep next to me, so I put my pillow on her shoulder and found that I could actually get comfortable enough to sleep that way. I dozed on and off waking only for our bus driver's cries of "Whoa Nellie!" and some of the more nauseating hair pin turns that we took along the way. Good thing we said a prayer before we left, right kids?!

At some point, the sun started rising, and at some point we had to take a detour due to residual flooding issues in Missouri and Illinois. I saw several Tiny Town, MO addresses that I wished I could move to, and little by little everyone on the bus started waking up-including Sister K who said "You really could have used me as a pillow." To which I replied, "I did." At that point, our worry turned to how we were going to unfold the card tables and successfully serve breakfast in the rain once we arrived in Carthage. With dry conditions and hundred degree temps in Oklahoma, we hadn't planned for this. My own memories of hot, sticky Nauvoo on my last late July trip of 2000 hadn't given me any reason to think about it either. And yet, it hadn't quit raining in the last 6 hours of driving, so who were we to think that would change once we arrived at our destination? But luckily for us, it did.

To be continued...

Made it Home-Updated!

At about 8:00 last night we boarded the buses at the Seventies Hall in Nauvoo, IL. We rolled into the church parking lot this morning at 9:00. My ankles are swollen, my back hurts, and I can feel every scratch and dent that bearing four children left behind on my hips and tailbone. It's just like being 9 mos. pregnant without the extra 35 lbs. (or so). I'd say I'm getting "too old" for such adventures, but there were parents and leaders older than I am who were sitting all around me on the bus; so I guess it's not my turn to make my complaints. Hopefully, it is my turn to take a shower and squeeze in a few hours sleep between now and when those kids of mine roll in from Tennessee this afternoon. Otherwise the trip was great and you all know a travelogue is coming (whether you want it or not)!

Dave and the kids made it in at about 3:30! It's nice to be under the same roof again.

Too Long to Tweet (Too Good To Skip)

I've been looking all spring and summer for a brown shrug to go with two of my favorite church dresses. I've searched the Mall, Wal-Mart, Ross, and everything in between with no luck. I finally found one today...in the MATERNITY section of Super Target. So much for my vow NEVER to buy another thing from that part of the store. Looks great with both dresses, though.
And I finally had an 'I miss my husband' moment when I tried to unzip one of those dresses just a few minutes ago. I knew I kept him around for something besides yardwork. (And that's good thing because I doubt he's mowed since the 4th of July.) No worries, I managed to escape the dress without him but I'm not putting it on again until Dave is home. That was scary.

Off to See Jar Jar

Not really, I'm going to Nauvoo; not Naboo. (I know Chris, not nearly as cool.) The longer I work at my current location, the more convinced I become that Dave and I will one day serve our mission there. (Again, Nauvoo not Naboo-though we could go for that too.) Can you picture Dave and I as mission companions? Yeah, it makes me laugh too. But we'll be older and wiser by then (I hope).

Anyway, in lieu of Youth Conference, we are boarding buses tonight, seeing Carthage Jail in the morning, touring Nauvoo throughout the day, seeing the pageant tomorrow night, doing baptisms Friday morning intermingled with touring throughout the day, having an evening fireside/testimony meeting, boarding the busses Friday night, and arriving home Saturday morning. I'm tired just from typing all that and all I have left to do here is to zip up my suitcase. It would be quite a trip for live blogging, but there isn't much wireless on a charter bus and all participants (and especially leaders) are "strongly encouraged" to leave all electronic devices at home. With my husband and four kids in Tennessee (doing fine when we spoke at lunch), you'd better believe I'm bringing my cell phone but otherwise I'm going to be good and comply with the rest of it. (Leaders have kids and therefore much more lenient cell phone rules.) I'm bringing a pen and journal and will probably make a bookstore run on the way to the church tonight. I'm sure the stories will be good once I get back home on Saturday (and will still be 'Home Alone' through Sunday), so be sure and come back then. Until then, have a great weekend, wish me luck, and keep my family and I in your prayers if you are so inclined. Thanks!

All By Myself

Dave's grandfather died yesterday. We knew the funeral plans would proceed quickly because Papaw Gregg had already had 2 heart attacks and was recently diagnosed with a brain aneurysm that they deemed 'inoperable' because he was too feeble for the surgery. Following that, he settled his affairs, picked out a casket, and was basically just waiting on the date. That date turns out to be the day after tomorrow which caught both of us a little off-guard. At 2:30 p.m. he wasn't going, talked to grandma, and all was well. At 3:30 he WAS going and we all needed to be packed and out the door by 7:30. Dave's family is weird, not super close-knit, and none of them are exactly affectionate or at all demonstrative so it is hard for me to know how any of them are feeling or what I should or shouldn't say or do. I tend to feel pretty helpless and frustrated. In this case, I was also feeling sad about something I deemed to be completely selfish.

From the time I was called into the Stake Young Women's program, we have been planning our upcoming trip to Nauvoo. I've been very involved with it, and even with the long meetings and other minor annoyances that come with being on a planning committee; I've enjoyed every step. Going to the funeral meant that I would miss the trip. It's a silly thing to worry about, for sure; but I still really wanted to go. I mean, Dave's grandfather couldn't leave his cotton fields to come to his own son's wedding (only his mom was there) and I just know that in the grand eternal scheme of things; he wouldn't care whether or not I attended his funeral. Also, I'm just not that close to Dave's Dad's side of the family. I respect them, I like most of them, but I don't really feel any big sense of loss today. Does that make me a bad person? (Dave's mom's side of the family is a very different story.) In 11 years of marriage, I've only visited with them 5 times (which is actually pretty good-all things considered). Still...I have duties to family and even though I really didn't want to go, I just could not figure out for myself exactly what was the right thing to do.

In the end, Dave decided for me. I packed the kids' clothes, he packed his, and then told me just to leave mine in the suitcase for the church trip and to stay here in the meantime. He moves pretty fast once he's made up his mind. So here I am in an empty house which under any other circumstance I would welcome, but right now just has me feeling a little nervous and lonely. I HOPE this was the right thing to do. I HOPE nothing bad happens to them that makes me regret staying behind for the rest of my life. I hope this winds up being a good thing-but right now, I just don't know. It sure is quiet in here.

Week In Review

Reading-

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert-

I really wanted to read this book and I was also really hesitant about it. Most of my friends loved it, one of my friends (whose literary savvy I practically revere) did not. I knew if I loved it, then I wouldn't be as cool as she is. And the verdict is...I'm not as cool as she is. This book came to me at a perfect time, it really spoke to a lot of what I'm going through right now, AND it gave me this food for thought:

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings it to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah! Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. And thank God for it."
~Richard from Texas (a genius in my opinion)

Had I read this even a week earlier than when "someone" (named Deborah) slipped it into my mailbox, I'm not sure I would have taken from it what I did. As it is, I have discovered yet another piece of cheap therapy in my life. And thank God for this too. In short, for me it lived up to the hype and was worth the time I spent reading it. It's all that more precious because it came from a good friend who is moving away soon. (And yes, I'm a disappointment and a literary sell-out, but the epiphany I had this week after reading this is worth being called that.)

Watching-

Baby Borrowers-

I'm hooked on this show, I can't help myself. I am annoyed by some of the parents who I feel put their kids up to behaving as badly as possible and then being as condescending to the teen 'parents' as possible when they pick their kids up; but there were only a couple of them who were like that. I was proud of the slumber party hosts, they did a great job. And I feel for the skateboarding kid, poor guy. Can't wait to see next week with the teenagers...that ought to be interesting.

Sex and the City reruns-

While I still think I relate to Charlotte better than the other characters, this week's episodes showed me I have a little bit in common with Carrie too. AND I like Aidan better now that I've seen their early relationship. (And I like him better with hair!)

In My Netflix Queue-

Waitress-

I LOVED this movie, but watching it almost gave me an anxiety attack. It turns out that I have a little bit of PTSD when it comes to exposure to domestic violence. Whether it's in a book, on my TV screen, or even someone close to me grabbing my arm a little too hard with no bad intent whatsoever. I spent most of the movie with my heart racing because I was always so scared of what that husband was going to do-compound that with the fact that I remembered all too well how Adrienne Shelley (the writer/director/producer/actress) was killed before she ever saw the movie released and it made for one very jumpy and emotional me by the time the credits roll. You know, we leave our abusers behind, we move very far ahead with our lives; but we never do fully escape the effects of domestic violence, do we? I really thought I had until I watched this. I still recommend it, though.
(Again, big epiphany week for me, even though I'm not Catholic.)

Extracurricular Activities-

Gotta Sing/Gotta Dance/Acting Class recitals-

Natalie finished up her last summer camp on Friday. She was awesome in both shows. Then, we went to a birthday party with some kids she goes to school with, and she completely clammed up and hid in a corner. All of this not less than 24 hours after performing in front of everyone with no fear at all. The kids at school seem to have an effect on her that I don't like and that I find scary. It really makes me want to home school sometimes...Any suggestions?

In Case You Missed It

My buddy John (frequently mentioned in blog entries about my misspent Okie youth) not only read one of my more recent posts, but he actually left a comment too! I think all my original goals in starting this blog have now been accomplished. (But I'll probably keep writing anyway.)

I Am an Ungrateful Brat

OK, so that isnt' news to some of you. But this post is to explain my most recent bout of ungratefulness.

Recently, one of my favorite Okie Bloggers, Sleeping Mommy, hosted a giveaway. Following her review of Trip Flix, she set up a drawing to win your own copy. I didn't think I would win, because my comment was the very first entry and the Random Integer Generator typically doesn't pick #1. But this time-it did! I got the DVD last week, opened it happily (hoped Sleeping Mommy would randomly show up on my doorstep now that she has my address-even though it's quite a drive), and set it on my desk. Today, my kids spotted it and asked to watch it. And then it hit me that I had not yet bothered to say "Thank You!" So, THANK YOU Sleeping Mommy! (And for those of you unfamiliar with her blog, my only question to you is "Why?")

Friday Night in the Big Town

It's Friday night and, as usual, we are here at Grandma's. Friday nights have been a lot tamer since one sister took to working every other weekend and the other one had a baby; but that doesn't mean tonight hasn't been without entertainment:

Me: I'll be right back, I'm going to run Natalie's stuff over to her. She's spending the night with a friend who lives close by.
Grandma (sans hearing aid): You're going to do what, Honey?!
Me: Take Natalie her pillow and blanket, they're in my car.
Grandma: NATALIE NEEDS SOME BEDDING? IS SHE SPENDING THE NIGHT HERE? I HAVEN'T SEEN HER ALL EVENING!
Me: No, she's spending the night at a friend's house. I'm taking her bedding over there.
Grandma: YES! SHE CAN USE SOME BEDDING! J! GO OPEN THE LINEN CLOSET FOR MELESSA. NATALIE NEEDS SOME BLANKETS. WHERE IS SHE AGAIN?
Me: At a friend's house and it's OK, I don't need any bedding. I already have it in the car.
Grandma: IS MY BEDDING NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR HER?
Me: No, it's fine. I just already have hers in the car and I'm going to take it to her.
Grandma: YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAT?! I'M SO CONFUSED.
Me: Me too.

Cousin J and Dave have just left to pick up my mother. Now the fun will really begin...Is it FRED yet?!

Thursday Thirteen #49

Last Friday, I was rather sentimental about summers in the days before kids and marriage. That doesn't mean that summer isn't still fun for me. For today's list, here are 13 things that meant summer to me both then and now!

1. Going to the pool! The kiddie pool of my day has now become a 'splash pad,' but it's still a lot of fun and I can't count how many times we've been this summer.
2. Eating popsicles! Mine are now of the 0 pts. WW variety, but still just as messy and melt-y as the sugary ones from my childhood. Now my kids get those kind.
3. Going on trips! FRED: Tahoe is in 2 weeks...Woo hoo! Still trying to work out a long weekend somewhere for the family too.
4. Going camping! Girls' camp and day camp at work, so done and done. (And the kids attended the latter so done for them too.
5. Having cookouts! The 4th is the big one here, but we do smaller versions almost every week.
6. Eating s'mores! We have a fire pit in the back yard for this very purpose. What an improvement! I used to have to go camping when I wanted one.
7. Seeing big summer movies! Indiana Jones, Wall-E, and Kung Fu Panda (kids saw that without me-sigh) so far...looking forward to Mamma Mia! As a bonus, one of these was at an actual drive-in. And we've been drive-in loyal since Natalie was a baby.
8. Hanging out with Chris, Lanie, and Wendy! Some things just don't change-thank goodness.
9. Random silliness! OK, this one happens year-round here, but it seems to get a little over the top during the summer. Most recently, Janet and I found ourselves performing Bert and Ernie songs to cheer up Selena while she was in labor. I don't think she enjoyed them near as much as we did. ("Though I'm not too crazy 'bout your rubber duckie, though I don't love pigeons still we're awfully lucky 'cause I LIKE YOUUU!") Between that performance and Eddie Izzard DVD' s playing all day (we paused when it was time to push), poor Baby Gabe's sense of humor will be just as warped as the rest of the Lawson's. Welcome to the family little buddy!
10. Seeing someone in concert! We covered that with the True Colors tour.
11. Going to a zoo/museum/aquarium at least once! We've already done all three and then some!
12. Reading lots of books! I'm working on it-and the new Stephenie Meyer comes out Aug. 2nd!!! (In case you hadn't heard.) I will likely buy it in Tahoe and try my hardest NOT to open in until I'm on the plane ride home. (And there are about 6 of you reading here who can hold me to that-darn it!)
13. Meeting people on vacation! I've always gone on trips and come home with new friends. This year, I will get to meet yet more long-time online mommy friends like Jennifer S., Lonna, and Maria. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Political Post-O-Matic Today

Every once in awhile, I get press releases emailed to me that some PR company thinks might be of interest to my readers. I rarely re-post them. But I liked this one:

In a recent poll conducted by Match.com and Happen Magazine, Americans responded overwhelmingly that when it comes to kissing, Obama is the right man for the job. The poll, which focused on political lip service of a more intimate kind, resulted in 77 percent of Americans responding that they believe Barack Obama would be a better kisser than John McCain*. “While the majority of our member base considers themselves ‘middle of the road,’ it appears that America is leaning to the left with their lips,” said Darcy Cameron, senior director of marketing and advertising for Match.com. This Match.com poll was conducted online and fielded 1,433 total responses.

*Neither Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain nor any babies were polled as part of this survey.

I'm not sure how important Obama's victory here will be to his overall campaign. And I certainly don't think I will any better informed on these two candidates on Election Day than I am now. And that's just fine with me. (And press releases found in my Inbox sure do beat having to come up with something myself tonight!)

Two On Tuesday

I realized that I left a couple of movies off of Sunday's Week In Review, and with nothing else interesting to write about; I thought I would review them now:

The Simpsons Movie-

I avoided seeing this last summer, not because I don't love the Simpsons; but because I wasn't sure how well their leap to the big screen would go. Also, after so many years-were there any funny scenarios left. Oh me of little faith! They've still got it and I can't believe I waited over a year to see it for myself. High points: Homer's comments outside the church building just before they walked inside! Grandpa being part of the mob. Bart helping Homer save everyone. The swallows flying into the dome (reminiscent of the starfish and the sharks in the "bigger brother" episode which is on my all-time favorite list) and Lisa finding love at last! I wasn't thrilled with the language only because Dave and I are already have to censor ourselves more and more at home with Natalie and Tristan getting older, and this didn't help. Still, it was worth watching it and I loved it-much to my relief.

School of Rock-

This has been on my must-watch list for years and I'm glad I saw it just before I found out there was going to be a sequel. Love Jack Black, loved him with the kids, loved to see a bunch of smart kids getting a chance to act "cool" even if they didn't think they were. And, any good rock and roll playing in the background is always a huge bonus for me. There were a few holes in the plot, but it worked. For example, I wonder what happened with his character and the principal. Did the prep school parents forgive him 'just like that' because they loved seeing their kids on stage. Maybe the sequel will tell us. I just hope Sarah Silverman isn't coming back for School of Rock 2. I've tried to like her, but I'm just not a fan.

~Annoyed~

Dear Kids-

No you may not wear flannel pj's, velvet outfits, or long-sleeved shirts in July! Why would you even want to? Did I drop you on your heads as babies or what?! Also, "make your lunch for camp tonight because we won't have time tomorrow morning" means just that. And I would stop complaining about your DS-owning, camp-going, computer-playing, tv watching lives if I were you. Things can always change. And finally, over my dead body am I ever taking more than 2 of you with me to the store again! (I know, I know...that won't really happen-but I can dream can't I?)

Dear Husband-

Remember how your mom was the boss of your house and no one crossed her including your dad? Guess what? That's my role in our house. Your mom wouldn't have over-stepped it even if she were alive, so why are you? I'm the mom, not the jr. partner.

Dear I-35 commuters-

You people tick me off-stop driving like idiots. I've got enough to irritate me already.

Week In Review

Reading-

Hungry Girl Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World-

OK, I read about this in the paper and thanks to my wonderful friend Deborah; I still had a Barnes and Noble gift card with a balance on it. I doubt I would have purchased this outright, but with some money left over on the card, it was my pleasure. As some of you know, I spent the first year after my 4th baby was born using Weight Watchers and I still think I have between 15-20 lbs. left to lose. I do better and worse at this depending on my stress level. Also, I'm hypoglycemic which means I have to eat from time to time or I go all psycho. Sometimes, I even pass out, and once I even had a mild seizure or so I'm told, I was unconscious at the time. (Happened in Italy on my mission, scared my poor companion to death. I went to the ER there more than I ever have in the U.S. before or since. I guess it's a missionary thing.) Anyway, that means that even when I'm losing weight and actively dieting, I have to make sure my blood sugar stays stable. The great thing about this book is that it has not only recipes that seem pretty tasty, it also has lists of snacks that are low in WW pts. and things you should and shouldn't order at restaurants. So far, I'm giving it three out of five stars. If I try the recipes and love them, I will bump that up to four, and if I lose some weight with this, it's getting all five. I'll let you all know.

Watching-

The Baby Borrowers-

OK, so I watched a couple of episodes of this and wanted to smack a couple of the teens, but also one of the parents. Her kid (a two year-old) missed her and cried for her almost the whole time. The teens caring for him were two of the most competent on the show and did their best. She took great pleasure in smugly telling them what a terrible job they had done. Um, NO. Lady, your kid was a crying, screaming brat who only wanted mommy. My son was like that at that age. I wouldn't leave him with people I liked, much less a couple of teenagers; because I was aware enough to know no one could possibly love him except for me when he acted like that. It wasn't the fault of his caregivers and consider yourself lucky you got them as opposed to a few of the others. By the way, what kind of self-respecting adult goes by the name "Barbie." Way to totally shatter the fragile self-esteem of a very promising young lady. Nice. Good luck when your kid hits his teen years. (Yes, she ticked me off-what was your first clue?)

Otherwise, I really like the premise of the show and think it's teaching a LOT of good lessons. Also, where can I sign my kids up? There would be a huge drop in teen pregnancies after 48 hours with mine were televised!

In My Netflix Queue-

Stargate: SG1-

Back in April, I bought Dave the entire series on DVD. He was thrilled! It was likely the best present I ever got for him. EXCEPT for the fact that every minute of every day that he is home, we have to watch it. I enjoy the show, but we have ONE DVD player. One. And I never get a chance to use it. So that's the reward for getting your husband his dream gift apparently.

Out and About-

Oklahoma Aquarium-

I remember when it opened, I said "someday we'll go..." and we finally made it this weekend. It was pricey, but very fun. The kids liked petting the stingrays (and watching me touch one and jump about three feet-OK, everyone at the tank enjoyed that...), seeing the sharks, feeding the manta rays, and seeing all the Finding Nemo type dioramas. (OK, watching the clown fish and the anemones interact JUST LIKE THE MOVIE was a big thrill for me too.) Elisa came home obsessed with sea horses and here's hoping it replaces Kai Lan in her heart. (Hoping, but not counting on it.) It was busy, but not so packed that it was annoying. Overall, it was a big hit with the kids, but not something we'll do too terribly often even when we are in Tulsa. Four kids are expensive after they all get past the 'free' age of three and under.

Swing-

While seeing Phantom this weekend got all the hype on Twitter, this was the second of four summer shows the Lyric is doing this season. This was a fun show with lots of music and dancing and great costumes. I looked at all the military uniforms in one of the production numbers and told Chris "I was born in the wrong decade." My grandmother (who said she would have stolen Dave's ticket had she known that was the show for the night) said she agreed. Her take on the 40's: "The men were handsome in their uniforms, the music was incredible, and the dancing was way more fun than any of you younger folk have come up with since then. I wouldn't have traded growing up then for anything!"
Of course, had grandma gone she likely would have been annoyed at Chris singing the Saran Wrap jingle ("It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that cling. Do-wrap, do-wrap, do-wrap") And, upon seeing the four principle singers come out for Act 2 in gray tuxes with tails and white gloves, saying "Van Halen!" which cracked me up for the rest of that song.

The Phantom of the Opera-

Wow! I had seen this before with Dave. I think it was 2002. We had OK seats and I thought I had checked this one off my 'to-see' list. I went this time to accompany Natalie. Of course, this time Lanie picked out the seats. And, oh my goodness, it was like I hadn't ever seen it. Sadly, I do still get confused when more than three people sing at once, but overall the show was amazing. Natalie's best quote of the night: "I guess it was supposed to be neat when the Phantom was singing at the top of the stage, but I was just worried he was going to fall down the whole time." She is SO much my daughter.

All in all, it was a good week.

Friday Flashback: The Quotes of Summer, updates in BOLD

Today's Friday Flashback will be (I hope) a collaborative effort. Summer means many different things around here than it did when I was in college, but hotter temperatures and 4th of July parties always remind me of those days. When school was limited to one or two classes, days were meant for sleeping, and nights were meant for movies, dates, and other crazy adventures. Some of the things my friends and I said to each other back then were so funny that we still remember them today and quote them back and forth quite often. Before I completely lose my memory, I'm going to write down the ones that have stuck with me and invite anyone who reads here and knows what I talking about to leave theirs in the Comments section. (Wendy, Chris, Lanie-I'm talking to you.) Also, I'm trying to make these as anonymous as possible (except for a few who I feel can stand the embarrassment and who never read this blog to call me out on it). But if you said it, you know who you are:

• "I'm not worried, I have a plan!"
• "Shh! It's OK, I have a back-up plan when his fails." (always said in a loud whisper behind John's back)
• "Where's John?!"
• "John, why did you (fill in the blank)?" "Oh! Because I'm an idiot!" "OK"
• "So, I'll see you at Jeffie's later?" (Jeffie had his very own house with no parents. Big fun)
• "(fill in any one's name here) I LOVE you! No really, I LOVE you!" (We discovered alcohol in 1991, can you tell? Lots o' love abounded at our parties-as did the beer and wine coolers.)
• "If you spill your beer, you've had too much." (Can't remember if that was a quote or a rule-probably both. Also, if you drank, you lost your keys. Just because most of us were drinking illegally didn't mean we were drinking irresponsibly.)
• "Yeah, that will happen when John or Jeff get a job and YOU get your driver's license." (aka "That will happen when pigs fly!" Though I have a license and I do believe that they both have jobs now.)
• "Hi I'm (fill in about three different names here), and I'm running for (fill in about three different state DeMolay offices here) and I'd appreciate your support."
• "John, shut the he%& up!"
• "John, you don't want to eat Moons Over My Hammy, you just want to SAY it." (Dave notes that poor John took quite a beating from us. What Dave doesn't know is that John deserved it. But John had his good times too...)
• "So, did your little red-haired friend enjoy his sleepover with you and Christina last night?!" (The only time Chris' mom has rendered me speechless in my life.")
• "There go the Smurfs."
• "Uncle Jeffie, that's not Kim!"
• "Get in the duck." (And that came from what movie? I already know, I'm just asking)
• "Where have you girls been all night!"
• "You can't ground us from Oklahoma City! How the hell are we supposed to get to Edmond and Tulsa?!" (Probably not the best way to respond to our moms when confronted with our summer misdeeds.)
• "John, where have you been?" "On a 'secret mission'."
• "Sometimes I just want to say, 'Jeff, take it easy on yourself. Take some time to stop and smell the roses.' Oh wait! He sleeps in the roses."
• "Dorkfish!"/"Weeniefart" (these two went together, but our friend Kyle was always offended by the second because it was "too visual" for him)
• "I feel like crap." (Always a follow-up on the morning after a party at Jeffie's.)
• "Where did Jeff get the money for another keg, I thought he was broke. Wait a minute! Where's the TV?"
• Chris pointed out that I left out any reference at all to the "bell joke," so here goes:
• "There was this couple who lived in England..."
• "And they brought a big brass bell..."
• "Now, THAT'S a good reason."

And then there was also:

• "yak, yak, yak..." (John had an annoying habit of calling up our answering machines repeatedly and either talking or playing Monty Python songs into them until the tapes were full. We tried to do it to him once, and the above quote was what his Dad said when he picked up the phone after our message had gone on long enough. We hung up giggling immediately.)

And last, but not least, we have these two:

• "I'm going to cut your heart out with a spoon!" (OK, I know we didn't originate that one, but we definitely said it enough to claim it.)
• "As far as you know."

Anyone remember any more of them? Leave them in the Comment section or email them to me and I'll add them to the list. I'm leaving this up all weekend while I'm offline (yikes!) and in Tulsa visiting family and seeing The Phantom so there's lots of time to make additions, but I won't be editing 'till Sunday night.

Thursday Thirteen #48

The fact that it was Thursday all day today has gone completely unnoticed by me until just now. So, time for a quick 13 before I go to bed.

Tonight, I threw together a quick dinner of chicken quesadillas, made easy by a lot of leftover grilled chicken, chopped onions, and shredded cheese. The real fun of making them, in Dave's opinion, was that I got to plug in my big ol' quesadilla maker that he thought I would just "love" several Mother's Days ago. I think I've used it about 5 times since then including tonight. As far as appliances go, it's OK to have-but not my favorite. However, I do have some favorite things floating around this house that I really can't live without. So, here they are in no particular order:

1. My DVR-How else would I ever get to watch TV now that we own a Wii?
2. My Crocs-They are ugly, but also my favorite shoes ever, ever!
3. My down mattress topper-Until I can afford a real pillow-top, this is heaven and worth every penny I spent on it.
4. An organized pantry/laundry room-I know Flylady says it's the kitchen that is the key to a clean house, but all I know is that I really FLY when the pantry is clean and the laundry stays sorted.
5. My iPod-It's green like Kermit, holds all my favorite music, and will even hold a movie or two to keep me distracted on the flight to and from Reno coming up at the end of this month. (I thought it would be great on our youth conference trip too, but the youth aren't supposed to bring theirs and I suppose I should set a good example for them. Bummer.)
6. My Studio in a Box-OK, this actually belongs to my place of employment, but having the all-in-one camera stand and backdrop makes taking pictures of the artifacts so much easier and it all sets up and folds up amazingly quickly. Since my time at work is pretty evenly split between teaching and archiving, I need all the time-savers I can get.
7. My laptop-Although right now it's not playing CD's or DVD's for me. (This is likely a user's error as we've long established what a technophobe I am.)
8. The fence that my father-in-law FINALLY put up around the yard for me. (He even acknowledged while doing it that his son just *might* be a bit of a procrastinator who doesn't always do what people ask him to do.)
9. My new desk-I still need to decide the best way to organize it, but I love it! (If you have a Sam's Club card, it's the one with the folding top that they've been selling the past few months.)
10. Google Reader-By far my favorite feed reader-I liked it so much, I replaced my blogroll with it in my sidebar (and it was smart enough to let me pick and choose which feeds to make public when I did)
11. My Cabrio washer and dryer-I can't believe it took me so long to upgrade to large capacity. These really get the job done, and I'm not constantly doing laundry every day.
12. FlyLady-I may mock her from time to time, but she gives my easily overwhelmed brain a jumping off point any time I look around my messy house and say "I just don't know where to start."
13. Mary Kay products-I love the Timewise skin care products and the tinted moisturizer because I'm not a big fan of heavy liquid foundation. These may be some of the few toiletries that I don't skimp on when I'm buying make-up.

My Solution to Yesterday's Dilemma

Thanks for the comments both here and on MySpace (where I try to cut and paste most of these entries). It's not that I think I don't "deserve" the free time, but as much as I try and tune out the preachier "thou shalt not work until thy children art fully grown" voices that seem to bounce and echo off the church walls-I am obviously still susceptible to them. That's actually kind of funny to me because, as I sit here and take a mental inventory, almost every woman my age at church has or has recently had some type of part-time job-so whose voices am I even hearing? As a stay-at-home mom, this kind of solution wouldn't have bothered me for a second. As a working mom, I think part of me feels like I already spend so much time away from them that every second I am not working should be consumed by quality bonding time with my children. This guilt is exacerbated by the way my four year-old has taken to wrapping herself around my leg each morning she is dropped off at pre-school. (What's up with that, anyway? She loved it until right before summer break started.) So, obviously I should show all my kids how much I love and miss them while I'm working by playing with them the minute that I get home.

The problem is, after spending most days at work surrounded by other peoples' children; the last thing I want when I come home is ANY MORE NOISE AT ALL. So I seek quiet time desperately and I feel completely undeserving of it all at the same time. My husband has no problem with picking up the kids, so all of this is internally-based and very confusing. What we have come up with is that when all the kids are on the east side of town (Natalie and Elisa are there daily at camp and pre-school) as they were yesterday, Dave will pick them up. If Tristan and Caroline are at their aunt's house, as they were today, I will pick them up and let Dave get the other two. And eventually, I will get over myself and allow a few breaks here and there. And then school will start again and it will all be a moot point anyway. Sigh.

Writers' Block

Since I had nothing better to write about, I thought I would present you all with my newest dilemma:

Work hours have changed for me over the summer. I leave a little earlier in the morning, but instead of getting home at around 4:30; I now get home at 3:00. I'll admit that the 'earlier' part has been tough for me and the kids to adapt to, but it also presented what looked like a pleasing scenario. Dave leaves work at 3:30, Natalie's camp ends at 4:00 and Elisa can be at pre-school until 6:00-though she is usually picked up by whoever leaves work the earliest. (She has never been there later than 4:30 in her life.) Tristan and Caroline spent today at my grandmother's and could be there as long as I needed. In theory, that meant that I could have an hour and a half by myself today between the time I got home from work and Dave got here after picking up the kids. I thought that I would enjoy the little break.

My feeling was that since I get them ready by myself in the morning and drop them off to at least two locations on my way to work, that it was only fair for my husband to do the same in the afternoon. He even agreed with me. So, we made the arrangements, I came home, and I did have a little bit of fun alternately taunting Wendy on Facebook and by phone; and yet that little voice in the back of my head kept saying 'what kind of mom leaves her kids for another hour at the sitter's house when she is home and could have picked them up herself and made her poor husband do it instead? So, while it was a nice idea in theory, I'll probably pick them up myself after work tomorrow. Mommy guilt-it's an ugly thing.

Music Monday

OK...since I hadn't done one of these in awhile, I had just finished posting my list when Blogger ate the post. (Blogger used to be notorious for this, but it's been awhile so I guess some slack is in order.) Anyway, to play along with me, grab your mp3 player of choice, hit 'shuffle,' and list the first ten songs that play. NO CHEATING, the humilation is part of the fun.

1. "Sing After Me" by Grover and Madeline Kahn (love that Sesame Street Box CD Set!)
2. "Careless Talk" by Billy Joel
3. "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" by Taylor Swift (too much Radio Disney?)
4. "How Do You Like Me Now" by Toby Keith (Hey! I've got Dixie Chicks on there too! But you can't be a Sooner fan and not love this song. Sorry.)
5. "Dreamgirls" from the Dreamgirls soundtrack (Honestly, I usually skip this one if it comes on, but NO CHEATING, remember?)
6. "We're All in This Together" from High School Musical (Remember, the humiliation is part of the fun? Yeah.)
7. "Lady Madonna" by The Beatles (aka My theme song, too bad that Grace character beat me to it)
8. "Hey There Delilah" by The Plain White Tees (If my four year-old hears this, I'll have to wait until it's over before I can hit 'next.' It's her favorite. And here she is! This is going to take a few minutes...)
9. "Mr. Blue" by Garth Brooks (Why do I have the sudden urge to two-step?)
10. "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid soundtrack (Here comes the four year-old again.)

Anyone else? If you played along leave your list or link in the Comment section. Now I'm going to cross my fingers, hold my breath, and hit 'Publish Post'. I hope Blogger isn't still hungry...

Week In Review

Reading-

The School for Husbands by Wendy Holden-

I borrowed this from Chris who described it at "kind of silly, but OK to read." Having finished it, I really can't add much more to that initial review.

We Thought You Would Be Prettier by Laurie Notaro-

To make up for the above disappointment, I happened to win a copy of this book at a giveaway hosted by Carmen at Mom the the Screaming Masses. I was a little confused by it until I figured out that the chapters are actually individual essays. Then I loved it. There hasn't been one yet that hasn't made me laugh, and "Moving Day" (of course) made me tear-up just a little.

Another Opening, Another Show-

"The Mikado"-

After a month's hard work, Natalie and the rest of the CCOC put on an awesome show! I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend Susan's nieces on the stage and her siblings in the audience. We had a nice visit in the theatre and in the parking lot. I was impressed by the quality of the performances the kids gave and by how happy being a part of it made my daughter. She starts yet another acting camp tomorrow morning, but I doubt it will be the same highlight that this was for her. (Chiefly because she won't end it with a big show-I'm sure it will be a great class, it's the older kids' version of the class Caroline just finished.)

The Big Par-Tee-

We survived another 4th of July party-this one had our biggest attendance yet, and that was without the kids of my sister's boyfriend (who are usually part of all of our get-togethers now). It was really neat that Sandra's husband was able to join us for the first time this year, I hope they all make it back next time. I also wish my house had been cleaner, but given the last two weeks, I'd say we did good to pull together as much as we did. I'm sure we'll do it again next year and even with the big numbers and clean-up; all I can say is 'the more, the merrier.' I thought I would have all kinds of pictures, but was too distracted to take any. I would feel bad, but when I pulled the camera out yesterday to take pictures of the aftermath (because I thought it was funny); it said "replace batteries." So I wouldn't have had any pictures anyway.

And that was my week! (Maybe I'll watch some TV some time before the end of the summer. But, I wouldn't count on it.)

How Did I Miss These?!

Happy Belated 4th of July! (I just love YouTube, don't you?)





Don't mind me, I'm feeling a little bummed that I can't go to this film festival.

Me and My Big Mouth

My church calling usually requires a fairly large chunk of my time during the summer. There was the stake prom at the end of the school year, Girls' Camp almost immediately after school was out, and later this month we will take a whirlwhind bus trip to Nauvoo, IL and back (aka Youth Conference). Not to mention the Sunday visits to other wards and branches around the stake, that are part of the year-round duties. I'm also often being grabbed at the last minute to sub in the Primary at my home branch because it's summer and lots of people are on vacation. All my vacation has gone towards Girls' Camp and the upcoming Youth Conference, so like it or not, I am there and feel obligated to do my part since four of my kids are in those classes.

Last week was exhausting. On Sunday, my family spoke in church. On Monday, we had the wildest bunch of kids that I've ever seen at work. So, we had to teach them for three hours and then to clean up after them for about the same amount of time. There were also groups on Tuesday and Wednesday (albeit well-behaved ones) and Natalie had dress rehersals and play performances on Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday. Add in long-awaited company on Thursday and Friday plus our 4th of July party and it all makes for one very tired and overwhelmed Mama by Sunday.

And so, after spending yesterday cleaning, I planned to take a well-deserved 'rest day' today. It is the Sabbath, after all. I said nothing to the kids in anticipation of their Dad taking them to church so I could enjoy a quiet home by myself for the three hours of church plus the 45 minute round-trip involved in driving there and back. Unfortunately, I mentioned it to Dave last night. And more unfortunately, he had the great idea to "surprise me" by keeping everyone home so we could spend my "day off" together. Lucky me. Next time, I'm not saying anything to anyone. I'm getting up early to make sure everyone is dressed and out the door on time, and then I'm locking it behind them. For now, I'm off to enjoy the "togetherness."

I Caved!

I didn't want a MySpace page until my sisters set one up for me. And I thought that's where I drew my proverbial line in the sand. I heard about Facebook and resisted it. I mean, I can go for months without checking MySpace, so what was the point? But friend after friend of mine started mentioning it too. The clincher was when I ran into my friend Susan's siblings at Natalie's performances in "The Mikado" this week (her nieces had leading roles, they are-not surprisingly-all very talented and quite gorgeous). She rarely emails, but both her brother and her sister told me she was on Facebook. My friend Sandra came for her annual 4th weekend visit, and she is too. In fact, it seems most people I knew growing up prefer it to MySpace. So, I gave up my line in the sand and I'm on Facebook now as well. Come find me if I haven't found you already (And even though I did search my spam uh, I mean hotmail and gmail accounts, I tried to bother as few of you as possible with friend requests.)

Justice?

I just watched the movie Mississippi Burning. I'm not sure how I managed to miss it until now. I remember all the hype surrounding it, and I agree that it was an excellent. But now that I've watched it, I have to admit that what bothers me is that, for all their crimes, the biggest sentence handed down to any of those jerks was 10 years in prison. One of them was even acquitted?! Was that supposed to be a satisfying ending? I get the point-they actually got arrests and convictions in Mississippi in the 60's and that was huge progress. But still, 10 years for the deaths of three civil rights workers? I just don't think that was good enough. Am I missing the point with this movie?

In the Next 24 Hours...

I have:

• Three more performances of "The Mikado" to attend (Natalie is in the chorus-shows are at 2:30 and 7:00 p.m. tomorrow, FYI-Susan R's nieces are in lead roles tomorrow night.)
• An upstairs to clean for our annual out-of-town visitors (Sandra, kids, and this year her DH too!)
• A big 4th of July party to prepare for!
• And still the everyday routine that is being the part-time employed mom of 4!

So, blogging may be light 'till the weekend is over! (But come back for the pictures on Sunday. There are sure to be some good ones!)

From My Head to Yours

While driving back from camp a few weeks ago, I let the girls take over my radio. KJ was, of course, the station of choice. I was sitting there mid-flashback to my own KJ listening years when I heard the DJ say "And now, "Summertime" from New Kids on the Block's new album!" My first thought was "Wow! Flashback is powerful today!" Then I realized it really was, in fact, them and that they were singing a new song. We watched the video at work this morning and the song as been stuck in my head all day. However, I'm not a fan of the new video. The conversation with Dave went like this:

Me: NONE of those 20-something bikini-clad girls were even potty-trained when New Kids were last on tour. Why are THEY in the new video?!
Dave: What? You wanted 30-plus, tankini-clad soccer moms in there instead?
Me: Well, um, yeah! That would at least be a realistic depiction of their fan base. The girls in this video just make them look old.

So, in protest of the actual video, here is one from YouTube that I liked much more. Please watch so that you too may spend the next 24 hours singing along like I have. ("I think about you in the summertime, whoa-oh...")