You Know You're an Army Wife When...

you go to the medicine cabinet for cough drops but all you can find are 30 bottles of 800mg IBUPROFEN.

Your turn ladies--keep it going! You Know You're an Army Wife When...

Words that Mattered

My dad wrote this letter to me the first time I climbed Y mountain on my own. I was eight years old. Dang near made it to the top too. I've read it at least a million times. Thanks Dad.

So We Kinda Got Another Dog

Another big dog (and muddy too!). Meet Duke. He belongs to our elderly neighbors who are having a hard time caring for him because they are in poor health. I offered to keep him over here to entertain Aggie. The dogs each weigh nearly 200 lbs. It's intimidating to be caught in the middle of one of their wrestling matches, but they are having a blast!

We Met in Spanish Class

Nate, David, Me

David and I were talking. Nate, who sat a row away, leaned over to "shush" me. I'd never been shushed by a peer before. Teachers and parents sure, but never a gorgeous 24 year old man. It was embarrassing and infuriating all at the same time.

Deployment: It's Like Mono Without the Kissing

This morning I experienced a complete shut down of all systems and slept as I've never slept before.

My mind registered the rising sun, the restless children, the dizzying shouts of another episode of Yo Gabba Gabba, but I found myself incapable of acting upon these "rise and shine" cues.

Twice I surfaced from the swampy depths of my unconscious--first to mutter "yesanothermovieyeah," and once when the familiar clink-clink of the sugar bowl led my weighted eyelids to flutter as I hollered "stayoutofthesugar!" before being sucked back into the abyss of inescapable slumber.

When I finally woke, the children were preparing lunch for themselves and sabotaging each other's water glasses with sneaky rattles of the salt shaker. It was 11:14 a.m. Surprisingly, I felt rested, renewed. I'd almost forgotten what that's like.

Another surprise--it seems I've taken up sleep walking. I went to bed in my underwear, and woke up in my underwear and a sweater vest.

(Don't) Be the Wheat*

Today Frankie spotted the paring knife I was using to slice peaches and asked "Is that a little baby knife?"

"Well, yes," I said, "but it's not for little babies. So don't you touch it!"

Looking up with wide worried eyes she asked "Because it has gluten?"

Yes Frances. Forget steel blades, gaping wounds, and severed arteries. It's the gluten you need fear. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

________________________________________

Frankie weighs 28 pounds.That's nine more than she weighed five months ago when we began her gluten-free diet. Woot woot! Looks like ol' "Failure to Thrive" can kiss my a--.

*I really should quit using inside jokes in my blog titles.

If at First You Don't Succeed

try try again.


PS. In case you're worried, Asher's not flailing about (once he makes it to the water that is) because he can't swim. He's only putting on "a play about a baby in the 8 feet with no floaties!" And no, that game doesn't terrify me, uh-uh, not a bit.

Almost There

If this doesn't move you to tears, I mean the wild, snotty, can't-catch-your-breath kind, then I give up.

Wishing

Seven

The day you were born was a happy day indeed. Oh Jensie Lissette, you are the first one I loved.

The Bigger Man

Two weeks ago a member of my church was attacked and repeatedly stabbed by a 16 yr old neighbor. His dad (let's say his name is Jack) is a member of our bishopric (local church leadership).

The day after the attack Jack shared some thoughts on forgiveness with us in sacrament meeting. He told us that upon arriving at the Emergency Room where doctors we're attending to his son in ICU, his first act was to say a prayer for the attacker.

Why? Because he could only imagine the atrocities that must have occurred in that young man's life that would have led him to become so violent and hateful. And Jack prayed that someone would love that boy and that the boy would be healed and know that God loved him still.

Jack's a retired soldier who has served two tours of duty overseas and has worked long and hard to become a proficient killer. As a father, he'd always assumed that if anyone ever hurt his children he'd hunt them down and hurt them right back. But instead, he prayed. He prayed and prayed.

The moral? God makes us better people than we could ever hope to be on our own.

Practice What You Preach

"The most radical political act there is, is to be an optimist. The most radical political act there is, is to believe that if I change other people with follow suit."

-Colin Beavan, No Impact Man

And that my friends is why I strapped the children into their stroller, walked a few miles to the grocery store, and carried our wares home on my back. We whistled while we went. I hope you try it sometime.

Good News Tuesday

Brownies circa 1990

Eventually, I did indeed grow into my knees.

Pretty is a Picture

Thoughts Before a Sunday

It is Saturday night and not so late that I ought to be in bed. My children are sleeping soundly, and my kitchen's almost clean. Our Sunday best is pressed and waiting, everything feels exactly right.

I have a quiet moment to think on last week's Sabbath and pray for inspiration yet to come.

I'm staring at the blisters I earned while digging a duck pond, a duck pond for Pete's sake, this afternoon, and pondering creation, and feeling so proud and able I can hardly stand it.

We're all so scared and worried, no, I'm so scared and worried, when really we're all so dang competent the anxiety is baffling.

"You might say, 'I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop.'

If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe."