The Retainer Gods Are Out to Get Us

Last Spring Dallin got his braces off and got a retainer (#1).  For some time, he did an excellent job of keeping track of it and wearing it all the time.  In June he went to Scout Camp.  I was worried about him keeping track of the retainer, and even considered having him leave it at home.  In the end, he took it with him.  The last day of camp, he left it on his lunch tray, and it disappeared with the garbage at Camp. 

A replacement retainer costs $95, and we told Dallin that we would pay for the first replacement, but that after that he would need to take the responsibility for losing it, and pay for it himself.  We got another retainer (#2).  Several months went by, and Dallin did an excellent job of keeping track of that retainer, keeping the case in his pocket constantly.  Thanksgiving came and we spent the holiday in Wisconsin with my brother and his family.  Dallin woke in the night, sick to his stomach.  He wears his retainer while he sleeps.  In the abruptness of waking up and needing to puke, he didn't think to pull out his retainer before bending over the toilet, and letting loose (who would?).  That's right, the retainer entered my brother's septic system.  We weren't going after it. 

I just couldn't make Dallin pay for that retainer.  It didn't seem right.  So, we purchased a new retainer (#3).  Christmas came, and we made a trip to Indiana to visit more family.  On the way, we stopped at a drive thru for some lunch.  That was the last time Dallin remembered having his retainer.  Upon returning home to Illinois, we called back to my sister's house, where we had thrown away our McDonald's trash.  They were so gracious and DUG THROUGH THEIR TRASH, looking for the retainer, to no avail.  The retainer was never found.  One month after purchasing #3, we purchased a new retainer (#4).  This time, Dallin paid for it.  He had taken care of a neighbor's dog over the holiday, and all the money he made went toward a new retainer.  A tough life lesson to learn for a 15 year old.

Last night, Rick decided to build a fire in the fireplace for us to gather around for Family Home Evening.  We had a lesson on the Articles of Faith, had a brief visit from our Home Teacher, and had a little treat of some chocolates we had received for Christmas.  As everyone was going off to bed, I noticed Dallin searching for something.  I asked, and he reluctantly admitted that he was looking for his retainer.  He said he had had it in his pocket while he was curled up in a blanket by the fire during FHE.  He had looked all around the floor by the fire.  As we continued to look, I asked if it had been in it's case.  He admitted that the case was down in his room, he had not wanted to go down and get it, and so he had wrapped it in a paper towel instead.  We kept looking.  Rick asked what we were doing.  As we told him the situation, a look of horror crossed his face.  Our hearts all sank to the ground as he said, "I picked up what I thought was a dirty Kleenex that was wadded up in that green blanket and tossed it into the fire."

What are the chances?  What are the odds that the same day we build a fire in the fireplace is the same day that Dallin leaves the retainer case downstairs and wraps the retainer in a paper towel and the same day Rick happens to pick it up and throw it in the fire?  I'm telling you, the retainer gods are out to get us.

Of Things That Matter Most

Yesterday in Relief Society we had a lesson on the wonderful talk from President Uchtdorf titled  Of Things That Matter Most.  Both the talk in October and the lesson yesterday were timely reminders to me to slow down and remember the most important things in life, and let them take priority.  Last week I was sick most of the week, and another weekend came and went with no progress being made on the basement.  Rick and I both just have so many things to get done.  Last Friday a long time member of our ward passed away, and Rick will be doing the funeral on Thursday, and I'll be helping with the dinner.  We know firsthand how much it means for people to stop and give a little bit of themselves when we suffer the loss of a loved one, but the truth is, it's not always convenient.  So, we came home from Church, looking ahead to a busy week, wondering when anything would get done on the basement.  All afternoon all 5 of the kids played together in the torn apart basement.  They built forts, and had marshmallow gun wars (thanks, Amy and Kyle), and it was bliss for me to stand in the kitchen and listen to their happiness.  Someday we will finish the basement again, but I was relieved to have the kids enjoying the space inspite of the circumstances.  The kids didn't care.  They still had fun.  That's what mattered most.

And then later that night, after the kids were in bed, and as I waited for Rick to return from a Priesthood Leadership Meeting, I got a phone call from the Relief Society President.  She informed me that a dear family in the ward had lost their tiny baby girl who was born very premature last week.  She wanted to know if I would go with her to the hospital.  There was no hesitation, no thought of what else needed to get done as I told her yes.  We went and did our best to comfort our grieving sister.  I prayed that I would both say the right thing, and not say the wrong thing.  It felt very close to heaven, standing in that room with those loving parents, griefing over the loss of their tiny baby girl.  I felt like an invader on their sacred moment, a feeling I was reminded of having once before as I sat in the corner of another hospital room with Kevin and Tera, witnessing that same love that is eternal, that reaches beyond the grave and deep into the centers of not just our bodies, but our souls.  In my everyday life, if you asked me what experiences I wished to have in my life, chances are I would not include bathing a tiny newborn's lifeless body, or witnessing the last days of a brother-in-law who was really much more like a brother.  Those would probably not even make the top 50, and yet I will never trade those experiences that I have now had.  The opportunity to see and glimpse into the eternities and feel the closeness of heaven is a wonderful reminder of things that matter most.

In moments of tragedy it seems "easy" to remember the things that matter most.  It's in the business of day to day that it seems much more challenging.  Next week the basment will seem important to me again, and yet I wonder if He who is our greatest example would let such a thing concern Him so much.  How can I look to Him more often to spend my time and energy on the things that matter most?  One of my favorite Primary songs provides some guidance.  I know this post is already long, but I want to include the lyrics anyway.

I’m trying to be like Jesus;  I’m following in his ways.

I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.

At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,

But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers,

Love one another as Jesus loves you.  Try to show kindness in all that you do.

Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, For these are the things Jesus taught.

I’m trying to love my neighbor; I’m learning to serve my friends.

I watch for the day of gladness when Jesus will come again.

I try to remember the lessons he taught.

Then the Holy Spirit enters into my thoughts, saying:

Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do.

Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, For these are the things Jesus taught.

I hope this post ended up making sense.  I know some of the things might seem disconnected, but it's all connected in my brain, and I was hoping to convey that a little.

Reading!

Tonight Daniel read to ME before going to bed.  He read this, all by himself.  The only word I had to help him with was twenty.  I love watching their  little  minds at work.

Jimmer and the Cougs

So I feel a little ashamed that here on Cougar Blue Jeffs I haven't talked yet about the awesome basketball season BYU is having.  They are currently ranked 10th in the nation, and I'm hoping they'll move up in the rankings tomorrow.  They have only one loss, and some are calling Jimmer Fredette, their top player, the top college player in the nation.  He is currently the nation's leading scorer.  He most recently scored 47 points against Utah last week!!  He is really fun to watch play (when we get the game on TV), and seems to be an all around nice guy in interviews, etc.  Obviously, with a #10 ranking, Jimmer is not the only Cougar who can play ball.  Jackson Emery, their other guard is also a great player, and has broken Danny Ainge's record for steals at BYU.  Anyway, I figured it was time for me to cheer on the Cougs for their baskeball season here in the blog.

GO COUGS!!!

Too Punny!!

My mom sent me these in an email, so maybe you've seen them before. I sure did think they were funny.  I think my favorites are 12 and 17.  Which ones make you laugh?

Puns For Educated Minds


1. The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
10. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
11. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: ‘You stay here; I’ll go on a head.’
12. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
13. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: ‘Keep off the Grass.’
14. A backward poet writes inverse.
15. In a democracy it’s your vote that counts. In feudalism it’s your count that votes.
16. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you’d be in Seine .
17. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says,  I’m sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.’
18. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says ‘Dam!’
19. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.
20. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, ‘I’ve lost my electron.’ The other says ‘Are you sure?’ The first replies, ‘Yes, I’m positive.’
21. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
22. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

More Self Discovery

So, today I decided to make myself a sandwich for lunch.  I don't usually do this.  I usually eat something leftover in the fridge.  Anyway, I was getting the bread out, planning to toast my two slices when I remembered I had used the last of the turkey that morning for Audri's lunch.  I did, however have ham.  Immediately my plan changed from toasting to warming in the micorwave.  Apparently for me, if it's turkey, toasted, but hot ham and cheese, please.

Funny, huh?  What's your preference?

Calendars

I just transferred everything to a 2011 calendar yesterday, and I'm feeling much more in control of my life.  It's funny how life works that way for me.  I felt very scatter brained and unorganized before that, but now that I know what the 2nd week of July (or insert any of the 52 weeks of the year into this statement) is looking like, things are looking up.  What exactly does this say about me?

Let's Be Honest

If you know me, I hope you think of me as not much of a complainer.  I'm generally not, at least I try not to be.  But let's be honest, this "break" has not been much of a break at all.  We've been going pretty full speed the whole time, I've had a cold for nearly 4 weeks, Daniel is just getting over a fever he's had for 3 days, and now Rick is sick.  Our computer is on the fritz AGAIN with the same issues it was having before that we paid to have fixed.  It's been gone from the house since last Monday.  Dallin lost his retainer, and to top it all off we came home from Nauvoo on Friday afternoon to 2 inches of water in our finished basement.  I love Christmas and the holiday time in general, but to tell you the truth I feel like I've had mine pulled out from under me this year.

There were some things we were able to enjoy, and I'll hopefully blog about them soon, along with a few pictures, but for now I needed to get this off my chest.
Happy New Year.