35

Today I turned 35.
The best thing about today was that I didn't fix a single meal. Rick and the kids got up this morning and made waffles with strawberries. Rick took me out to lunch, and then he got dinner tonight before we went to Audri and Eliza's Spring music program. Now, cooking is actually something I enjoy, but it sure can become a drag when you HAVE to do it day in and day out, multiple times a day. Thanks Rick.
Life is good. Sign me up for another 35 : ).

What a Beautiful Spring Sabbath Morning!?!

This is what we woke up to today. The robins seemed very confused.

Welcome Home, Dallin!!

Dallin came home today, dirty, tired, and happy. It's good to have him home. The family feels complete again. He had a great time. Dallin tends to be quiet and reserved at school with his classmates. Because the outdoors is a place he feels really comfortable, he was able to show a different side of himself, both to the teachers there and to the students. He helped his team win some orienteering contests, enjoyed the team building tasks, and was surprised to find he greatly enjoyed and appreciated the craft time. We had fun as a family sitting around asking various questions about what he did throughout the week. I have to admit it gave me a glimpse into the future. Not so many years from now (about 7 1/2), I can visualize us sitting around, welcoming Dallin home, asking him questions about a much longer time away from home, when once again he will learn much about himself. I'm glad I have more time with my "little boy" at home before he leaves for a mission, but I am also so happy to see him learning, growing and maturing into such a fine young man. Glad to have you home, Bubby : ).

A Mom's Life

You know, sort of like Pixar's A Bug's Life. It could be a good movie. Anyway, it's about 10:30 in the morning. A lot of mornings I'm not even out of my pajamas yet, but this morning I've already showered, gotten dressed, administered to a sick child (taken temp and given Ibuprofen), packed two school lunches, sent one Middle Schooler off on the bus, taken Audri to the orthodontist, learned how to turn the key in her new expander, dropped her off at school and gotten a haircut. Driving home from my haircut, I wondered if I had eaten breakfast this morning. And then I remembered. I ate one bowl of cereal that Audri poured and didn't like, and then I finished off the half bowl of Mini Wheats that Dailie left. Sounds like A Mom's Life.

Dallin Has Left the Building

Dallin has left us for a week. He has gone with his fellow 8th graders at Washington Middle School to a week long field study at Lorado Taft. This is an outdoor education campus associated with Northern Illinois University. He has been really excited about this for awhile. It's right up his alley, and I know he'll have a great time. We'll miss him here at home, but I am also excited for him to have this opportunity. He returns Friday afternoon.

My Grandpa is 90 Today

Today is my Grandpa David Thompson's 90th birthday. I thought I would make mention of it here on my blog. Here's a couple of pictures I dug up. I think the first one is from his 70th birthday, though I'm not sure, and the second is he and my Grandma with my dad at college graduation (maybe his Masters?).

Fond memories of Grandpa:

• picking blueberries with him
• playing catch in his backyard with his collie Jolly
• watching him play basketball- he was a high school star, and always loved the game
• watching him play horseshoes with his brothers at family reunions
• eating his homemade ice cream
• working with him in the garden- a lot of memories with Grandpa involve work, because he knew how to work hard, and he taught us to as well
• getting roses in 8th grade from a secret admirer- pretty sure it was my Grandpa who worked at a florist shop at the time
• singing with him on Christmas Eve

It's important to me to try and savor these memories because although Grandpa is still here on the Earth with us, his body is old and tired, and his mind is not as sharp. It's a hard thing to watch someone who has lived a long and full life slowly deteriorate. Because I know there is a happy and peaceful place for us to go when this life is through, I sometimes wonder if it is wrong for me to wish that he could move on. I wonder what the purpose is to dragging on a life that seems to me to be complete. I love Grandpa, and know that it will be sad to see him go, and yet I know it will be happy when he can play ball again, throw a horseshoe with his brother who has gone before him, and most importantly enjoy the memories of those times once again.

Happy 90th, Grandpa!!!

Dallin Exists

Just a little note to those of you who have been invited to Dallin's blog to let you know he's been trying to post more lately. So, if you thought he was never posting again because it has been months since you saw anything new, stop over and take a look. AND, if you'd like an invitation, just leave a comment on my blog, and he'll take care of it.

A New Tag

Here's how it works:

1. Go to Document/pictures
2. Sixth file folder
3. Post sixth picture
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 others.

I've seen this one a few times, so I thought I'd go ahead and do it. The result......

This is Dailie in Nauvoo last Spring. I think it's at the Sarah Granger Kimball home. We love to go to Nauvoo as a family, and have enjoyed being just 2 hours away since moving to Peoria.

I'll tag Kelly, Sarah, Andrea B., Andrea H., Pam, and Tera : ).

Does This Count as a Serving of Veggies?

Daniel likes salad. Or so he says. When we have salad with dinner, he always asks for some, but he picks out JUST the croutons. Then, he dumps on Ranch dressing. This is his salad. One night, we thought it was so hilarious we had to take a picture of Daniel's "salad". It's on the left of the plate. The other food is mac 'n cheese.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RICK!!

Today is Rick's birthday!! The kids and I decided to help him celebrate yesterday at Church. Saturday night, Rick and I went out to dinner for his birthday. While we were gone, the kids made a poster to hang on his office door at Church. I also made this giant chocolate chip cookie. Sunday morning, while Rick was in his meetings, I was at choir practice, and Dallin was at Presidency meeting, Dailie, Audri, Eliza and Daniel decorated the door to the Bishop's office. They had lots of fun. Then, when choir practice was over, but before Sacrament meeting started, I took the cookie in and put it on his desk. The idea was that he could share it with those who were staying after Church with him to count tithing, etc. We did all go down to his office to have a piece before we headed home.

The poster says Happy Birthday Bishop/Daddy.

I'm sure lucky to have Rick as my husband and friend, and even luckier to share in the joy of parenting with him. Here's a list of great things about Rick:

• Rick can fix ANYTHING!! I have been amazed numerous times in our marriage by the repairs he can make. If I were in a survival situation, I'd definitely want him with me.
• Rick loves to learn. I love this about him. He can soak up information like a sponge, and his interests are so varied. And, he enjoys sharing what he learns with others, like me and the kids.
• Rick loves to read. This is evidenced by the stack of books on his nightstand. There are currently 30 books on his nightstand, ranging in topics from the Gospel, to business, to fiction, to history.
• Rick works hard to better himself, always. He is constantly setting goals for self imporovement, and working towards them.
• Rick is dedicated to the Gospel. I am so greatful for this. He serves diligently as Bishop, and strives to follow the Savior's example.
• Rick loves his children. He is such a great dad. He takes the kids on individual dates, and knows their interests. He plays with them, and teaches them.
• Rick is true blue, through and through, a die-hard Cougar fan, and how could I be married to anything less?! Here's the kind of fan he is: one of the times he likes best to wear his BYU tie to Church, is after a loss, to show that he always supports the Cougs : ).
• Rick is a great cook, and there have been many times that I have benefited from that. We often dream of opening a restaurant together....
• Rick is an artist. He creates beautiful things. He especially enjoys woodworking, although he's never found the time to make it as much of a hobby as he would like. Recently he designed and made a doll stand for Audri's mini American Girl dolls. He finished it and gave it to her on her birthday. I think I'll end this post with some picutures of it.
  
  I love you, Rick!!! Thanks for being a part of my life.

Solo and Ensemble

Yesterday Dallin and Dailie participated in Solo and Ensemble contest. Dallin played a trumpet solo (I accompanied on the piano), Dailie played a piano solo and also played cello in a string quartet. They were given 1s on all their performances. If you are not familiar, you play in front of a judge, and the judge gives you a rating of a 1, 2, or 3- 1 being the best. They have been preparing since the first of the year, and I was very proud of them for their performances.

Way to go, Dallin and Dailie!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AUDRI!!

Today is Audri's 10th birthday!!! I'm figuring out a few things on Blogger, so here's a tour of Audri's life, through pictures. It's good for me to have a reason to get some of these scanned into the computer. Anyway, I'm so happy to have Audri as my daughter. She brings a lot of fun to our family. Audri loves tiny things, animals and fruit. Currently her favorite animal is a koala. Audri is very kind to small children and is often very helpful with Daniel. I love you Audri!!!

One of Those Dates I Always Remember...

What were you doing 20 years ago today? Can you remember? I remember the day very well. The evening of March 3, 1989, I went to High School basketball sectionals with a friend of mine, and my brother Andy. After the game, we went to a pizza place, and then took my friend home. On the way home we were in a bad car accident. So bad that those first on the scene called it a double fatality. That night I was taken to the ER at the hospital in Crawfordsville, and eventually I was taken by ambulance to Indianapolis. I then underwent 7 hours of reconstructive surgery to repair my broken jaw, shattered cheekbones, ripped eyelid, crushed maxillary (upper jawbone), shattered elbow and broken forearm, resulting in a compound fracture. I was told I broke every bone in my face. Saturday (the 4th) is a day that I do not recall, nor will I ever recall, as I spent most of the day under anesthesia. The next thing I remember is waking up, lying in bed, unable to speak, due to a tracheotomy. I spent the next twelve days in the hospital: healing, recovering, and doing a lot of growing up.

Many people ask, do you look any different? I don't think it changed my looks that much, but you decide. Here's a before, during and after picture. It's a little hard to tell because I started wearing contacts shortly before the accident happened. All the pictures of me before the accident are with glasses (don't you love those things?).

My Freshman High School picture, taken about 6 months before the accident:

This picture was taken probably 8-10 days into my hospital stay. Looking back, my mom wishes that she had taken a picture earlier, but at the time, she refused. She had no idea how things would turn out. I didn't look in the mirror until about this same stage, so I only know what I'm told by those who saw me. My mom says my face was swollen to the size of a volleyball. She would prep people before they came in to see me. Anyway, here I am, in the hospital, oh and this is the right side of my face. The left side was the worse side:

Here I am, not long after the accident (4 months?), with one of my four surgeons. This was the specialist for my eye- a surgeon of the eye, doctor of the eye, and plastic surgeon. In the end, the only damage to my eye was a scratch to the cornea that I have to explain to the eye doctor every time I get my eyes checked, but the eye was the main reason for sending my to Indy (you can see the scar from the trach on my neck).

And, a few years later. This is my Senior picture, taken 2 1/2 years after the accident.

So, for all that happened, I don't know that my looks changed that much, but the accident did change me. I learned so many things through the experience. Here's a list:

• Optimism makes a world of difference in trials. My doctors told my mom that my good attitude was one of the reasons I was healing so quickly.
• People care more than you think. My family and I were amazed at the outpouring of love from people at school, my dad's work, family, and especially our ward.
• The Savior taught how to be an example. I know this may not seem to fit, but at the time I was studying the New Testament in Seminary, and as I lay in the hospital bed I thought a lot about His life, and how He handled the trials He had. I wanted to be more like Him in my life. One of the conclusions that I came to was that He was always an example to others, and I wanted to live my life more like that.
• Gratitude. I have never felt more grateful in my life than while I was in that hospital bed. I shared the room with one girl who was 11, but had the body of a 3-4 year old, and the mentality of even younger. She had spent most of her life in the hospital. I felt such gratitude for my life and all that I had been blessed with.
• The power of prayer is real. I knew there were many people praying for me, and it was a real source of strength.
• The power of the priesthood is real. One thing that I remember being repeated in each priesthood blessing was that I was blessed to not have pain. Can you believe that I do not remember much pain from this experience at all? It's true. The most painful thing was physical therapy for my arm the months following the accident.
• Adversity strengthens you.
• ***ADDITION*** I forgot to add determination and hard work. Physical therapy taught me this.
  

Since that experience many years ago, I have had a lot of time to think about it. I have struggled to find a place for it as the years roll on. At first, everything in my life related back to "the accident". It defined who I was. I was who I was because of the accident. I have never had any difficulty talking about it to anyone, and I've always been willing to share my experience with anyone who wanted to hear it. I began to realize that I was not recognizing other moments for growth in my life because I was dwelling so much on this particular trial. I wasn't dwelling on it negatively, but it still became all consuming, to a point. It was almost as if my growth had skyrocketed and then plateaued. As I came to this realization, my pendulum swung all the way to the other side. I never brought it up. I filed it in the back of my brain as an experience that had strengthened me, but not one that defined me. I began to see other opportunities for growth in my life. I did not relate every comment I made in a talk, or lesson, or class at Church, back to "the accident". As a matter of fact, I RARELY brought it up. One day, several years ago, Rick started telling the kids about it. I don't remember how old they were, but it hit me, that my children did not know the story. The story of me. The story that defined me. Or did it? I took a step back and re-evaluated how I viewed the experience.

I feel like I have come back to the middle now, a nice even balance. There are times that it is appropriate for me to share a part of the story with others. I try to recognize those times, and I share the story, or part of the story, or a lesson I learned. But, mostly, I try to live my life true to the lessons that this experience gave me. Did it define me? At the time, yes. And since then I have added to that definition. It will always be a part of who I am, and it will always be part of my growth as a person. I'm happy to say that after 20 years, I have learned where it belongs.