Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Aging

It has just recently hit me that I am closer to being 30 than I am to 20. I have about five gray hairs, at least that I have noticed. I guess it will be time to dye my hair when I can't count them anymore. I remember that I used to always want to see the bones and veins through the skin on the back of my hands because I figured that meant I wasn't too fat if I didn't have chubby hands. But now, I'm realizing that the veins showing through my skin is just because my skin isn't as young as it used to be. I can also see some lines forming around the corners of my eyes that someday will be wrinkles. I don't know if anyone else would notice them yet, but I do. I'm starting to think that we should invest in the lotion industry. I think every woman will at some point start to feel her age and reach for the lotion in an attempt to stop the effects of time on her skin. At least, I have. I like to curl up with my legs under me when I sit on the couch, but lately when I stand up afterwards they feel stiff and hard to walk on -- but then that might be because I need to lose weight. =) I also tried to do a cartwheel a few weeks ago. It didn't go so well and really hurt my pride. You hear people talking about getting older all the time, but this is the first time I have ever really felt it. I'm not upset about it. It just feels weird to think I'm starting to get older.

Friday, February 23, 2007

The Legendary Bob Bass

I picked up my dad’s journal the other night to skim through it, but a couple of hours passed before I realized it. It is a journal/sketch book/thought book. He was quite a character, and I found myself laughing at times and crying at others. Here are a couple of gems from The Legendary Bob Bass, as he titled the book himself.

I had to read this one to Nate. I guess I did inherit a few of my dad’s traits. He wrote: “Lord if there’s any way let me have an easy life cause I’m awful lazy. Of course every organization needs one lazy person. This is the guy who is going to find the easiest way to do things.” And in another place: “Worry? Well if you have to I guess you might as well, but really now, it ain’t gonna change things.”

Then there was this entry that impacted the future of our family: “Folks think I’m a dreamer and I guess I am. My latest idea concerns greenhouses. A tough field to break into with no plant knowledge or money. Well some lumber from a house I tore down, and my own labor, will help nullify no money. My plan is to sell tomatoes not plants. Unlike other wild ideas like resturaunts, the wife has a soft spot for greenhouses. What business can fail when the ole wife agrees to help. We ain’t got nothing now so what is there to lose. Don’t you know the struggle to the top is more fun than the rewards if you make it. If defeated, then the hard times will be a common bond because we will have failed together.” For someone who was asking the Lord for an easy life, I have no idea why he would want to build a greenhouse.

I also liked his entry about a whole morning of fishing with not much going right – he got up late, the boat was leaking, no fish were biting, he had to shoot a water moccasin out of a tree he was drifting under, and then he ends it with this: “Real hunger sets in and I decide to call it a day. Successful trip. No fish to clean, mind refreshed.”

I sure do miss him. It’s going to be wonderful to meet him again and hear some more of his stories.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Our new pets


Nikki's preschool class has been talking about pets for the past couple of weeks, and on Tuesday they talked about the responsibility of taking care of pets. She came home with a paper goldfish in a paper bowl with blue tissue paper around it for the water. She also had a little plastic bag with glitter in it which was the fish food. Hannah just had to have her own version, so with a couple of substitutes (green tissue paper was the closest I had and she used sprinkles instead of glitter) she made a fish, too. Nikki has diligently taken care of that fish for the past few days. I'm amazed that she even thinks about it because I never mention it to her, but she feeds him a sprinkle of glitter every morning and evening. I'm sure he would be overfed if he was real, but she just loves the fact that he is hers to take care of. I think it's so cute. I'm going to have to be careful or they just might wear me down one day and end up with a real pet.

Snow White is Ready for Winter!


Usually Nikki is jumping to get in front of the camera, but for some reason today she wasn't happy when I took this picture of her. I thought she looked so funny in her outfit, but I guess she didn't want to pose in it. What a getup!

My Dad


I was looking through some old family photographs today and came across this one of my dad. I just think he looks so adorable. You would never think he was such a rascal at that age just by looking at him.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Hannah's 6th birthday

Since I have very little artistic talent, I am very lucky that Hannah is easily pleased with her birthday cakes. With all of the Valentine's things in the stores, she was happy with the idea of a heart cake.

I can't believe she is already 6 years old. We love her so much. We had the cousins come over for her party, and it is so nice that they play so well together that we don't need to plan lots of activities to keep them entertained. Everyone had lots of fun.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Alicia

A group of ladies at church just started a book club and I just finished reading the first book the group chose. It was titled Alicia: My Story written by Alicia Appleman-Jurman. It's an autobiography about her survival in Poland during World War II as a young Jewish girl. It was really difficult to read, not only because she included some of the language that the German soldiers used towards the Jews, but also just because the horror was incredible. One night I read for a couple of hours before bedtime and ended up dreaming about it all night. After that I decided I could only read it for short periods of time in order to keep myself unemotionally involved. While she spent a couple of weeks in a German prison and a few months in a Russian prison, mostly her experience of the German occupation was spent trying to find enough food and hide from the soldiers and police. I was amazed at her bravery and her ability to think on her feet. That is really the only way she was able to survive -- well, and of course the many times when divine intervention stepped in on her behalf. I am glad that I read it because it was such a moving story and I really learned a lot. I'm not sure that I could recommend it to everyone to read because it was so emotionally taxing to read about and to think about the brutality and discrimination the Jewish people faced. One part that struck me was a time when she came across a couple of hundred refugees who had made a camp in the forest. She did her best to hide her identity as a Jew, but apparently she was recognized. After these people had befriended her around their campfires and shared their food with her for two weeks, a German soldier on horseback happened upon their camp. She saw a man immediately go up to soldier and point her out. I was shocked at the betrayal. Did he hold the same prejudices against Jews that Hitler was preaching to the Germans? Or was it just out of his fear that the soldier would kill them if he found they were harboring a Jew? How could he sleep well at night knowing he sent a young girl off to her death in order to save his own life? It turned out that the soldier didn't kill her, but she was fully expecting to be shot on the spot.

I think mostly it has made me look introspectively at how much I look out for myself compared to how much I am willing to help other people. I've never been faced with the horrible option of turning over neighbors to the authorities or be considered myself a traitor such as the people in Europe faced in the 1940s, but I would hope that I would have enough compassion and integrity to try to help others rather than save myself. I just don't know how brave I could really be. I'm grateful I haven't had that kind of test, but I do face questions of being kind to others or looking out for my own comfort and ease all the time. I hope after reading this book I will be kinder than I have been in the past.

Friday, February 09, 2007

Sweet kids

I am just surrounded by the sweetest little children. Tonight JW watched the kids for us while I went to play the piano for a funeral. When I got back to his house to pick them up, Jay, who is two, saw me come in the door and said, "Su!" Then he ran over and gave my leg a big hug. How adorable! I could just eat him up. I just LOVE him! Then I saw Brenna, who is six months old, rolling around on the floor, and I have never seen a happier baby. All you have to do is look at her, and she breaks into the biggest grin. And she's chubby and just so huggable. J & Alli have wonderful kids. Hannah happened to get a fever today (right before her birthday party tomorrow and Nate & I go out of town all week next week), and my kids are always sweet and cuddly when they are sick. She's not usually the one who wants to curl up in my lap, so while I am sad that she doesn't feel good, I am glad that I got a chance to snuggle with her tonight. And finally, as I was putting the girls in bed they just couldn't give me enough hugs and kisses. I suppose that could be because they didn't want me to turn out the light, but I'll just believe that they really love me a lot. =) So, I feel really blessed tonight to have such wonderful little ones all around.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Snow!

Yesterday was a beautiful, chilly day with clear skies, but the forecast for today included a wintery mix of snow and ice, so yesterday afternoon the schools went ahead and delayed today's school for two hours. I thought that was kind of funny. We're definitely not in Utah anymore. It turns out that we did end up with some snow this morning. The kids were so excited. We went out and had such a fun time making a snowman and throwing snowballs at each other. Nikki & Hannah had pretty good aim. I even got a snowball smeared across my glasses! The snow turned to rain while we were out there, so we came in and had some yummy hot chocolate.


For the eyes of our snowman we used purple flower blossoms and for the mouth I took a sprig of the ivy growing in my flower pot. It's hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago the flowers were blooming and the bees were out.