Youth Conference

Last weekend was our ward Youth Conference: 24 youths, 10 adults, and we all had a great time.

Thursday morning we met at 7 a.m., had a short devotional, then passed out muffins and juice to everyone. We loaded the cars and went south. Our first stop was at Cove Fort, where we had a brief tour of the place. It was quite interesting (although now I feel satisfied that I know all I need to about the place, and don't need to go back).
Following that we hopped back in the cars and drove to Southern Utah University in Cedar City, where we spent the rest of the time. The facilities were immaculate, and the food about par for a college cafeteria (at least it was all you could eat). We finished out Thursday playing some fun water games, having dinner, then going to the Shakespeare Festival and seeing the play Cyrano de Bergerac. The play was a full three hours - a little long for some of the kids, but the performances were outstanding.

Friday was a day spent on relationships with those around you. We had a few brief workshops, then did a Ropes Course, which was the hit of the weekend, I think. The only injury sustained on the ropes course was mine. I tripped over a cable as I was trying to take a picture. Way to go! I did scrape and bruise my shin, but the worst part was just the embarassment of tripping and falling. After lunch we did some service projects - yard work for some elderly residents. The kids worked really hard. We filled the back of two pick-up trucks with debris from our clean up. That night we went up the canyon to an old sheepherder's cabin. We had a dutch oven style dinner, a fabulous speaker, then a campfire where the youth had the opportunity to bear their testimonies. It was a tender meeting.

Saturday morning we ate breakfast then drove to Cedar Breaks Monument. We went to a couple of lookouts - stunning vistas - and our bishop gave some closing remarks. We drove home and collapsed. It was a wonderful event, and I'm so glad Ray and I got to go. We have great youths in our ward!

Boris goes incognito

Matthew loves Boris (he calls him "Bis"). He won't leave Boris alone, and follows Boris everywhere.




In an effort to save Boris from the incessant Matthew, we helped him go incognito:
It didn't work. Somehow Matthew still knows it's Boris.

There were four in the bed and the little one said, "Roll Over"

Boris the immovable cat, Ray, me, and the sprawling Matthew. He was crying at 1:00 a.m. and Ray brought him to bed with us. Now I know why we didn't do that with our own kids. Good thing he's so darn cute.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I liked the book by the end, but no matter how good the end, it doesn't make up for the miserable, never-ending beginning. 110 pages is much too long to torture myself into reading. The only reason I kept going is because so many people have told me they love the book, and it is worth wading through the first part of the book to get to the end. I'm not sure I agree.

Sometimes I still have it

Once upon a time, I was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. Yes, Pat Sajak and Vanna White were on it then, but Pat Sajak was fairly new on the show. The night time version had just begun, and was only syndicated in a few markets around the states. Los Angeles was not one of those markets. Mostly what people still watched was the daytime version, where you won money, and spent it on lovely gifts like the ceramic dalmation that former host Chuck Woollery made fun of. No one took home cash - only prizes. In the daytime version if you kept winning, you could be on for up to three days.

Here's my experience in a nutshell (of course my nutshells are very large - if you want to see the relevance for all this in today's world, skip to the bottom). We lived in west Los Angeles at the time, and I watched daytime game shows like many women watch soap operas. My two favorites: Wheel of Fortune (WOF), and Jeopardy (note that these are the only two long-standing game shows still on the air). I was pretty good at WOF, and Ray convinced me to try out to be on the show. So I did. I had to go someplace in Burbank, I think. There were probably about 30 of us in the room. We had to take a written test that had several WOF type word puzzles on it - lots of blank spaces with a few letters shown in each phrase. We had five minutes to take the test. I think I only missed one (out of about 25). They asked all but three of us to leave, then we three played a little miniature game of WOF right there. They got all our info, and said they might be calling us (no guarantees, ever).

A few weeks later I was called, and went in again. This time there were 40 or 50 people in the room. I was not feeling well - strep throat - so I was kind of miserable the whole time. I tried to put on a happy face. They had everyone in the room go around and say what they did for a living. There were all kinds of exotic personalities. When my turn came, I said, "homemaker, mother of 2." Not so exciting. Then we all played WOF some more. Then they said they might be calling us (once again, no guarantees).

A couple of months went by. I actually saw some people on the show who had been there when I was trying out. Oh well, no guarantees, right? After about 3 months, I got a call. Could I be there for a taping the next week? Could I ever! Ray was out of town, so his sister Ann came along to keep me company. After signing my life away, I found out that they were taping a night time version of the show (they tape five shows in an evening). I was not happy. I wanted my shot at three days, not just one lousy day. Happy face time again. Then while I was waiting in the studio while they taped the first few shows, I was really dismayed. They had only weird prizes, not everyday practical things like washing machines. Bummer. I may have let slip a comment or two about that. The car they were giving away was some very expensive type, and all I could think was "we can never pay the insurance on that thing." They always have a couple of extra contestants on hand when they tape, in case something goes wrong with one. I became an extra that night. I never got to go on. They said they may be calling me (no guarantees). Once again I cursed my lack of ability to keep my mouth shut. They probably didn't want me on because I was complaining, and now I lost my shot at being a contestant.

Well, we all know I got on the show - they did call me back. And, it was my lucky day - a daytime show taping. Ray was in town so he could come. I won two days, so I was able to be on all three days. I didn't win a dime on the third day, but got lots of consolation prizes because of it (about a hundred cases of Top Ramen, to name just one). One of the days I did not guess the final puzzle. I think of it every time I eat "deviled eggs" to this day. I did guess the other one, although I don't remember what it was right now. I won almost $13,000 worth of prizes. A few interesting facts: 1. after the show you can refuse any prize you won that you don't want. 2. You are taxed on all your prizes that you do keep.

I had two favorite prizes. One was the trip to the Bahamas that I won on the first day. It was an exciting puzzle, because I kept just barely missing Bankrupt every time I spun. I wanted that trip so bad that I kept going as long as I could even though I knew the puzzle, so that I could win the trip. Ray almost had a heart attack watching. The other was two Rolex watches - one for me and one for Ray. That was from a gift certificate to Van Cleef & Arpels in Beverly Hills. I won that on the final puzzle on the second day.

Fast forward 24 years or so to this week. I record Jeopardy and WOF every night, then watch them while I am on the treadmill. This week I guessed two of the final puzzles. (When I was on the show they did not automatically give you RSTLN and E then let you guess three more consonants and a vowel. I just got to pick five consonants and one vowel.) Here are the two puzzles. I put a heart in for every blank letter, and of course the actual letter for the letters that were exposed. Answers will be posted in the comments.

One: (phrase)

♥ A ♥ S T - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Two: (person)

T R ♥ ♥ ♥ A

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Have fun solving! (Can you do it in 10 seconds or less?)

Sidenote: to be on a game show:
1. You have to be over 18 (the exception being special shows for kids)
2. You can not have been on this same game show before (the exception being a championship version where you are invited back)
3. You can only be on three game shows in your life.
At least those were the rules when I did it.

Not as effective, but much more fun

Today Austin came out to help me weed. "Grandma, shall we pull some weeds?" is how he put it. So I donned my hat and gloves, grabbed the bucket, tool, and cushion, and off we went. He led me right to where we should weed.

"I use the tool," he said, and he began to dig indiscriminately. Luckily that was a great area to dig in. I climbed up to where I wanted to work on a raised area. He soon decided that looked like more fun. Of course, he joined me. Then he began to pull indiscriminately. Yikes! I actually had some things that are growing, and he was yanking away at them. We soon came up with a fine compromise: I pulled weeds, and he put them in the bucket for me. We had extensive conversations - something that is a nice change from my silent sojourns in the garden. He pointed out all the exciting events going on around us. "Look, Grandma, a plane", then "Grandma, a dinosaur". That warranted a second look. In fact it was a lawn mower. I tried to get him to say that, but it remained a dinosaur. Then, "Grandma, what's that?" A leaf blower. "What's he doing?" etc, etc. The hour passed quickly, and though there weren't as many weeds as usual in the bucket, it was a fine hour for me.

Five, count 'em, five

I'm either getting more brave, or more desperate to rid my yard of weeds. During my time on the rock wall today, no less than five spiders ran out from where I was weeding. Luckily they were measly little ones, so I could persevere. And luckily it was not while I was precariously perched, reaching for the weeds on the top of the wall. However, I did hit my limit when the 5th one dashed out.

Happy Birthday Debra!

Debra is my second child, and second daughter. Except for a brief foray into intense stubborness at the age of two, she was an easy-going child. She is level headed, logical, and best of all, lots of fun. Debra is my game playing partner. When she was in high school she came home for lunch very frequently and we could get 5 games of Yahtzee in during the half hour she was home. When we weren't playing Yahtzee, we were playing Scrabble. Both of us love to play, and neither of us really cares who wins.

The two of us had a very fun trip to Hawaii when she graduated from college. We spent a week relaxing, reading, attempting to snorkel, and seeing favorite sights along the north shore of Oahu. (Kua Aina burgers and Matsumoto shave ice just can't be beat.) Debra even gave surfing a shot, and did a pretty good job.

I admire Debra for her deep level of commitment to the gospel. She is a great example in all ways. She is a great companion, and I treasure her friendship as well as love.

Happy birthday, Girlie! I love you!

The birthday dinner crowd.

My roommates from BYU

Thirty-three years ago I arrived at BYU as a new freshman. I knew only one person (Ray ♥). It was a wonderful adventure for me: I fell in love, found the church, and received my degree. What more could a girl ask for? Well, lucky for me I got more, and didn't even know enough to ask for it at the time.

I got wonderful roommates. Through no direction on my own part, I ended up with fabulous girls to live with. For the most part we all lived together from our sophomore year until we graduated or got married. There were six in our apartment, and a few came and went, but the core of us were there for the duration.

Fast forward to ten years ago. By that time I was living in Kirkland. We came to Utah for my niece's wedding and I had a few extra days. I decided to try to get together with the roommates who lived here in Utah - Cindi, Janet, and Ilona. Miracle of miracles, they were able to make it, and we all had lunch together. It was so fun to get together and catch up on things, and felt like it had been six months instead of almost 20 years since we had seen each other.

It was so much fun for me that I tried to make time as often as I could when I came to Utah to meet with them. Mostly we could all make it. Those lunches were highlights for me over the years.

Now I live here. I've been here almost two years now, and we have continued the tradition. In fact, we try to have lunch with each other once a month. We are pretty consistent at keeping that date. I really look forward to it each month. There is something about talking with friends who have a deep connection with you that is soothing. "They knew me when", and they know me now. We can talk about the gospel, our families, and our feelings. It is safe, and healing.

Last night we broke with tradition a little bit. Cindi had us all over to dinner with our husbands. It was fabulous! I knew the women would have a good time, but it sure seemed like the men did too. Ray had a great time. We did my favorite things - talk and eat good food.

Thanks Cindi, Janet, and Ilona. You have been, and still are a blessing in my life.

The last of the easy ones

Another satisfactory line drawn through an item on a to-do list: I finished the last of the quilts that were already almost finished. Now all the projects I have left have either never even been started, or have only a few blocks made and have a substantial amount left to make.

This quilt I started in Washington. In fact I took a class with my mom to make it. My mom has not only finished hers, but made an additional very, very large one (it is beautiful) that is also completed.

The print fabric I used I have had for years, and love so much that I have hesitated to use it. After all, once it is used, it is no longer available to choose from. (This is one dilemma that quilters frequently face.)I still have more of the fabric, but not that much.

It took me (literally) less than five minutes to finish the top. Is that embarrassing, or what? The pinning and quilting took me as long as the movie When Harry Met Sally. The binding took me as long as the special features on When Harry Met Sally. So I had the satisfaction of finishing another quilt as well as watching one of my favorite movies. (Such snappy dialogue!)

Quilt: Winding Ways
Size: 37 X 37 inches
Completed: June 6, 2008

Game Widow by Wendy Kays

I know Wendy, and was interested to read her book. It will actually be available on shelves in August or September. If you go to her website, (gamewidow.org), you can order it now.

The book is her insight and practical strategies for reclaiming relationships with video-gaming spouses, friends, or family members.

Wendy breaks down the video game industry into regular language for those of us who are not as familiar with it, and proposes ways to deal with problems stemming from addictive video game behaviors.

I discussed the book with my son, who is an avid gamer - we had a great conversation, and he further clarified a few things for me. Although I don't agree in entirety with some of Wendy's projections in Chapter 4, the rest of the book is pretty informative. If you are not familiar with the world of video games, it's worth a read to get yourself up to speed. It's a quick read, only about 120 pages long.

Happy Birthday Audrey!

Today is Audrey's birthday. She is my first born, and a delight in my life. Audrey is the communication glue that holds our family together. She is always encouraging me in my endeavors, cheering me on when things seem too hard.

When Audrey was a baby she was so pretty that people would stop me on the street and comment on it. One man gave me a dollar to give her, but said not to mention it to anyone or his own grandchildren would be jealous. (I had no idea who he was). We lived in Provo, and at the time they had a beauty contest for babies around the 4th of July or Pioneer Day, I can't remember which. Ray said in all serousness that we would never enter Audrey (not that I wanted to), but I asked why. "Because she is so beautiful that the judges wouldn't even consider the other contestants." There was never a father so enamored with his little girl.

Yes, she is beautiful, yes, she is smart as a whip, but most of all she is GOOD. I love and admire her.

Happy birthday Girlie!

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

I loved this book. At 749 pages, it is a daunting read, but well worth it.

Goodwin is a master of portraying history in a most engaging way. It's a true story - all the facts are already available to us, yet she still manages to make it a page turner.

I have a fascination for Lincoln and the Civil War. I thought I knew a lot of the basic facts. It turns out most of what I knew before reading this would have filled perhaps 25 pages of this book. It was wonderful to discover so much more. I knew Lincoln was elected president, and I knew he was assassinated, yet the pathways leading to these facts kept me completely engrossed. This book is much more than just about Lincoln. It is also about the men he surrounded himself with to help ensure the success of the Union. Most of those men had been his political rivals. How he built and sustained a strong presidential cabinet with them is the crux of the book.

I enjoy most of what I read; I no longer feel driven to finish a book I don't like. There are too many wonderful things to read to waste my time on bad stuff. Still, lots of what I read is just enjoyable. This was more than just enjoyable, it was fulfilling. I feel I am a more knowledgeable person for having read it, and in addition, if I could incorporate just a few of Lincoln's qualities into my own life, I would be a better person.

I also highly recommend Doris Kearns Goodwin's No Ordinary Time (about FDR's time in the White House).

Now I've got to shake off this sense of living in the 1860's, and get back into the real world.