One week

Today is the first day in a week that I haven't had a raging headache. There is life after Diet Coke withdrawl. However, it's almost the 3:00 hour when my urge to nap is the highest. We'll see how I make it through...

He knows the way...

I would have love to have posted this yesterday but because I had to study 12 chapters of Isaiah, and we hosted a church social of 60+ people at our house, and went to church, I didn't seem to find the time to get it on here. Hilary emailed me this photo the other day and I told her I was going to have to put it on my blog. She kidded that I need intervention! I just may after posting this picture. I'm not sure who took it or who has "rights" to it and if they are offended by it being in my humble online journal, I will take it off.

I'd like to print copies of it to frame and put in the girls' room. We all know it is President Hinckley but it could be any prophet. I'm looking forward to hearing President Monson speak at conference this weekend. I know it will help solidify my testimony that we have a living prophet.

This may be the first month that has gone by in a very long time when my visiting teaching did not get done. Even on the months when I couldn't go personally, my companion goes or we send something. I am a loser. Didn't get it done. I guess the Sabbath should be a day of reflection. A day where we recommit ourselves to keeping our covenants and being obedient. I know today is still March and I could go out and see my ladies. But, I just don't want to be that visiting teacher who crams my visit in on the last day because I didn't get it done earlier and I want to be able to say I did it. No excuses, I just didn't do it. I'll be better in April.

message for Uncle Boyd

While we were sitting an airport (can't remember which one of the many) on monday, Boyd listened to the messages on his cell phone. He had pretty good coverage in Mexico but he really didn't use it while we were there, I was proud of him actually. Anyway, he's listening to his messages and he hands me his phone and says, "Listen to this one". In the cutest voice ever, I hear Noah, Boyd's nephew from Matt and Tanya, asking "Uncle Boyd" if he could talk to him and get some "advice" about his businesses. He wants to know if he could just talk to him about his "dog walking and salsa business". You should have seen Boyd's face light up. It was the sweetest thing and he's listened to that message over and over. Last night while Boyd and I were on a quick date, he called Noah back and left him a message. I bet if Uncle Boyd could have, he would have hopped a plane and flown out to Arizona himself to deliver the message in person. He was so happy to hear from one of his prized nephews. He really does love his nieces and nephews. He brags to everyone about how talented and beautiful they all are. I remember a couple of times Lydia has called to leave us messages. I just melt when I hear her say "Aunt Cheryl" in her darling voice. Oh, and the letter Spencer wrote to Uncle Boyd a couple of summers ago...man...that has a special place in Boyd's office right now, where he can get it out and read it often.
It's about all I can do not to pack up and head west.
Boyd and I aren't the best at showing affection to each other let alone to others we love. We haven't been the best Aunt & Uncle or brother and sister or daughter and son or mom and dad for that matter when it comes to telling those we love that we love them. It's not that we don't constantly think about everyone, because we do. Our alone time together is mostly spent discussing what is going on in everyone's lives and what we would love to do to help or how we would love to see everyone. In fact, it has become almost a weekly ritual for me to report to him about everyone's blogs. It's been such a great way for us to stay connected to each other. What I wouldn't give to be there watching them find their Easter eggs, kick their soccer goals, hike in the spring sun, listen to them giggle, and give them each a hug. Hearing little Noah's voice was just so precious and a wonderful reminder of just how much we love our family. I was telling a friend yesterday that this has been the most difficult year for me to be so far from family. I've been more homesick than ever and have missed family more than usual. I've ached for a phone call announcing someone would be dropping in any day! We are so busy in our lives right now and it seems that any free time we have is needed to bond our family together again. The trip to Mexico was so wonderful and since then I've felt closer to my girls than I had for 6 months. But, there is always this desire to spend all my free time with extended family too. I'm really looking forward to being able to take my long drive out west this summer. My family is having a reunion this summer at my folks home. I can't wait to see how everyone has grown and catch up on all that I've missed out on. The other day I was reading my sister's blog and wanted to be there to goosh all of her kids! I wish that I would be better about letting my loved ones know just how much I love them. I want them to know how I really feel and that I really do think about them all often. Sometimes, I've been inspired to pray for them and on some occasions to put their names on the temple prayer rolls. My family inspires me. I miss them all. And thank you to Noah for making Uncle Boyd's week!

Coconut Cake

Last night was Enrichment. It turned out to be a good casual night. We had a yummy roast beef dinner and for dessert we had cake. Different sisters brought cakes and they used them as centerpieces for the tables and then we ate them. I brought a coconut cake. I usually only make it once a year for Easter and since we were gone this year I had a chance to make it. It's a really simple recipe but I get a lot of requests for it so I thought I'd post it here. Then someday the recipe will be in my printed journal too! I usually double the recipe and make it an extra tall cake but last night I just made it the way the recipe calls for and I think it turned out fine.

Coconut Cake

2 9 inch round white cakes (can be made from a box or homemade)

1 cup sour cream

2 cups sugar

12 oz. whip cream

14 oz bag of coconut

Cut the 9 inch cakes in half to create a 4 layer cake.

Set aside 1/4 cup coconut.

Mix sour cream, sugar and remaining coconut. Mixture will be thick.

Reserve 1 cup of the sour cream mixture and set aside.

Frost between layers of cake with sour cream mixture. Use all but reserved 1 cup.

Add whip cream to the reserved cup of sour cream mixture and combine.

After cake is assembled, use the whip cream mixture to frost the entire cake.

Toast 1/4 cup coconut in a 350 oven until brown. Let cool. Sprinkle on frosted cake.

I hope this makes sense. I'm not a very good baker myself but this recipe always turns out great.

I'm grateful for sisters who work so hard to put on an enjoyable evening for us. I know that it's not always easy to put together these meetings. It was a great way for me to get my mind off of the constant headache I've had for the last few days. I decided to give up Diet Coke (again). I did it once before and stayed off for a couple of years. It's reeking havoc on my body and it's time to let it go. With that...I will miss the kick and lime. Here's my salute and goodbye to the stuff...

suited to go

Here's everyone in stylin' wet suits ready to swim with the dolphins.

Hola

I really should be unpacking but between loads of laundry, downloading pictures, picking up the dog and catching up on mail, emails, calls and seminary...I just have to get out some of the things that I thought highlighted our trip.

Really, really...the most beautiful weather of anywhere I've ever been. In the 80's every day. Dry desert air, perfect sunrises and sunsets, clear cool water. It's so wonderful waking up at the crack of dawn and laying in a chair reading books and playing board games with kids. I tell you, coming home (for lack of a better word) sucks.

I have to say one of the highlights of the trip was watching the girls swim and kiss and hug dolphins. It's one of the rare, surreal experiences of my life watching them ride on their backs and race through the water. Since I'd already done that, I was happy to sit back and watch them and enjoy. Afterwards, the trainers offered to have me come over and take my picture with a dolphin. I have a few hard copies of the photo and if I get brave, I may download them and post them here. Chloe kept saying that night...mom...guess what...I swam with dolphins today!! The girls are at a great age to appreciate these kinds of memories.

Bridger got stung by a jelly fish one day. She was pretty tough about it and hardly complained. She was hoping the marks would still be there when she got home so she could show everyone but they were gone this morning when she left for school. She bought a small chair hammock and is hoping that it will be hanging in her room when she comes home from school. I think it will take a small miracle to find a place for it. She and Elizabeth spent hours a hammock just swinging and giggling.

Hunter tried everything. She jumped in every wave and caught every sea creature she could find. We made her give "Hermie" the crab back to the sea though. She got really burned the first day and so she and Bridger remained lathered in sunscreen the remainder of the week. You can hardly tell she got any sun at all other then the scars on her chest from the burn. I don't know who liked the ocean more...Hilary or Hunter.Chloe did a good job keeping her self from burning. She used alot of spf. It didn't result in the ultimate tan that she wanted but she isn't burned at least! She was a little more timid in the water then years past. Frankly, the water is pretty cold until you get used to it.

We ate a lot of guacamole, chips, salsa and fish. We drank a lot of diet coke with lime. We dyed Easter eggs and had a hunt. We ran around pretending to know a lot of spanish...did pretty good too. We shopped and bartered. We swam and laid out. We used a lot of sunscreen. We played a lot of Boggle and Phase 10. Took a lot of pictures. Road a glass bottom boat out to Lover's Beach and saw sea otters and lots of fish. Got wiplash from Boyd driving us all around like a maniac in the mini-van. Went to bed early and got up early (except for the one night Hilary and I stayed up until 1:00 am!) Watched a dad break his leg on the beach (pretty graphic story...I'm still having nightmares from it). Drank fun smoothies from beautiful handblown glass. Ate the most incredible lime popsicle. Almost got the plates from the van removed from the police for parking inproperly and had to pay a "fine" (tip) to the cop to let us go. Enjoyed my experience at the local Costco and Walmart....soooo much better than ours. Had the best sushi in my life. Will never get over how wonderful it is to have a maid come clean your entire house everyday..laundry and all!!

There really were too many wonderful things to mention it all. I really really want to live there from October to April. Not going to happen but I still want to. There are just too many photos to download them all here so I've already started my Cabo book. I may post more in the next few days. I don't know who laughed harder at Boyd and I being "Lucha dors"...the Mexicans or Hilary and Bill!

Cabo...here we come...

I'm going to add this link to my list of links.. .I highly endorse this gal. I've worked with her before and she is currently working with a friend of mine. Her blog has good info and is a fitness boost when you need it.
http://www.trainwithmandy.blogspot.com/

Not many more times...

Bridger asked if she could color Easter eggs today. I figured since I probably won't hear that asked for much longer, that we probably should. We'll be gone over Easter this year too, so I knew this would be our only chance.
Chloe gave out after the first egg.
I'm not sure how many more years we'll be doing this.

a new favorite...

Just when I thought it didn't get any better then the book of Esther, I began studying Proverbs. I am, by accident, a collector of books with quotes. I love being inspired by short messages or statements of affirmation or wisdom or "proverbs". I have a terrible memory when trying to recall them at useful times in my life and so I enjoy having books with them around. I find myself drawn to buying these books when I see them at the store. Some of the books have been given to me as gifts, some I keep on the back of the toilet...my friend Janelle called them "toilet reading". She used to laugh every time she came to my house and tell me only Mormons keep doctrinal reading on the back of their toilets. Some of the books require you to read a quote each day and some require writing your own thoughts about the messages.
Some of my favorite quotes from my books:
"Ignore your teeth and they'll go away." / Mary Ellen Edmunds

"There, there little luxury, don't you cry, you'll be a necessity by and by." / Ezra Taft Benson

"Friendship is one heart in two bodies." / Joseph Zabara

"He prayeth best who loveth best." / Shakespeare

"Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate." / G.K. Chesterton

"It isn't for the moment you are struck that you need courage, but for the long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and security." / Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got." / Janis Joplin

"Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your handbrake on." / Maxwell Maltz

"The strength of a nation is derived from the integrity of it's homes." / Confucius

"Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction." / Anne Frank

"I do not want the peace which passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace." / Helen Keller

"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad!" / Mary Ellen Edmunds

Now, I supposedly read Proverbs when I was in high school. It's safe to say that I don't remember it at all. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading verse by verse the wonderful messages in this book. Talk about daily affirmations!! Here are some of my favorites:
"He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly."

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."

"How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!"

"A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of the castle."

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

My seminary boys' favorite:
"It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman."
I thought it was great that they found a proverb that they could relate to! Anyway, so my love of small and impactful quotes can continue. I'm having so much fun discovering these awesome scriptures. I'm taking my time to enjoy them...we start on Isaiah after spring break!

Who Can Resist?

I got to babysit Noah yesterday for a few hours. He is such a good baby and I really like that I can bottle feed him so he stays happy! Who can resist gooshing (a cheryl phrase) such a stinkin' cute baby? I had to get some pictures of him. I'll tell you what...loading car seats in and out of SUVs is not for the faint of heart! Mini vans are the way to go...



He's almost 6 weeks old now and he's starting to be able to look for things. So, I like this picture of him looking over at me like...lady...get that flash outa my face!

This photography stuff is boring!

The gift of the year

I think I pulled off the greatest gift of the year in our family. Yesterday was Boyd's birthday and I bought him a UTV...kind of a cross between a 4-wheeler and a dune buggy. It's a "side-by-side". I didn't even know I was going to buy it until he left for work yesterday. I went to the computer and researched for and hour and started making calls. I found one left in Kansas City. I spent the rest of the day driving to Grandview and getting everything taken care of. I had it delivered and put it in the garage where it was ready for Boyd when he got home at 4:30. It was a crazy day and there was a lot going on so it was a little chaotic when he got home. He was pretty surprised though.
I'm pretty sure he had a great birthday...golfing with Steve and getting a new toy. We didn't have time for cake but we'll do that this weekend.
Happy 39th Boyd!!

Academic Excellence and Young Womens

Last night 4 of the girls in the Laurel class received academic letters at school. We decided it might make a fun activity for the class if they all went and watched them get their letters and then come back to our house for icecream sundaes.
Chloe gets her letter...

Erin, Sonja, Chloe and Brittany

Way to kill two birds with one stone...school and church...

Mental Notes

I picked this up off of a friends' blog...
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when...

1.You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2.You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4.You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8.Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13.Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

Kansas City

I posted some of these lyrics in my blog header...but here they all are so you can read 'em.
Kansas City Lyrics

I got to Kansas City on a Frid'y
By Sattidy I larned a thing or two
'Coz up to then I didn't have an idy
Of whut the modren world was comin' to!
I counted twenty gas buggies goin' by theirsel's
Almost ev'ry time I tuk a walk.
'Nen I put my ear to a Bell Telephone
And a strange womern started in to talk!

Whut next?
Gather 'round!
Ev'rythin's up to date in Kansas City
They've gone about as fur as they c'n go!
They went and built a skyscraper seven stories high,
About as high as a buildin' orta grow.
Ev'rythin's like a dream in Kansas City,
It's better than a magic lantern show!
Y' c'n turn the radiator on
Whenever you want some heat.
With ev'ry kind o' comfort
Ev'ry house is all complete.
You c'n walk to privies in the rain
And never wet your feet!
They've gone about as fur as they c'n go,

Yes sir!
They've gone about as fur as they c'n go!

Ev'rythin's up to date in Kansas City
They've gone about as fur as they c'n go!
They got a big theayter they call a burleeque.
Fer fifty cents you c'n see a dandy show.

Why yes, we're proud of our plumbing and phone service! Yer all welcome to borrow our privies anytime. We've gone about as fur as we c'n go!

Life is not for Woosies

Last sunday our Bishop's wife shared her testimony is sacrament about motherhood. She talked about how raising 8 children was not for "woosies" (love this word!)but how much she loved being a mother. Whoa...she does have a lot going on...I'm glad she loves her job and she does it well.
I've thought a lot about that lately. Not about having 8 kids and the difficulties of that but how life in general is not for woosies. What is hard for one person might not be for another. Each person's life and trials are custom designed for each of our personal growth. Not only that, but the Lord could never take away our challenges or we would have no agency. Think about it. If no one ever suffered, then no one would ever fail or achieve. We would have all followed Lucifer's plan. Don't you think he absolutely has the power to take away sickness, sorrow, sadness? Don't you think he would do it in a heartbeat if he thought it would make you a better person? Do you think for one moment our Father looks down on us and delights in our pains and sorrows? I think not. Do you think he is proud of who we become through our adversities? I know so. We are studying Job this week which is only fitting because it has filled my thoughts lately. Why? Why are people allowed to suffer? Job even himself asked this question. After losing all...home, family, income, and his health he wondered...as any of us would and do. Yet, he never doubted the Lord and even in the depths of his sorrow, yes, even wanting to die, he never denied his Maker and never blamed him. I've decided the test is to see if we'll make it through. Do we have the courage, the faith to go on even if we never understand the why? Even if we never find out during this lifetime? That is a question only non-woosies can answer. I'm not sure if I'm a non-woosie or not.
Elder Harold B. Lee, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve said,
"The more complicated our lives and the world conditions become, the more important it is for us to keep clear the purposes and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not the function of the religion to answer all the questions about God's moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answers to in his present status."
I thought that was fitting this early morning.
I've decided life is not for woosies. Other's adversities are very real, even if they are not our own. I may not have tons of kids or I may not struggle with the same issues as someone else but my adversities are mine and they are real to me as they are to each of you. It has pained me these last few weeks to watch some of you suffer but I have learned much from your example. None of you are woosies. Be Still my Soul, the Lord is on thy side.

40 years

I wish I could download the pictures that I took this weekend. Friday the 29th was Steve Thornes 40 birthday. His wife Kim threw a huge surprise party for him. There were at least 250 people there. Kim had everyone he could imagine throughout his life flown in for the occasion. It was more like a reunion in many ways. Although we honored Steve's life, we were able to catch up with old friends and acquaintences as well. Some of these people I hadn't seen in almost 20 years. It strange to say that I have known Steve and Kim for half of my life now. I can't say that about many people. Most people I've known that long, I haven't kept in touch with. They have had a great influence on us. Steve started the company Boyd works for and I imagine without it, we would still be living in Montana. The whole weekend was full of fun and eating. I even managed to get the girls their swim suits for spring break. I took some(not many)photos of the party with Boyd's little camera and my computer won't download the photos now. I may have to trick my computer today!
It's safe to say that I could never throw a party that large for Boyd. He'll be turning 40 in a year, almost exactly. His birthday is March 6th. I can't imagine what I can do that would even come close to that magnitude. Sigh...hope his expectations aren't that high. I can't even think of what to do this year and his birthday is only a week away. After this weekend...it's sure to be a downer no matter what!
I'm pretty tired still from this weekend and was secretly hoping snow would fall and cancel school. No luck but we're studying Esther today so that makes up for it!