I once had a next door neighbor who was quite a colorful woman, and that’s putting it nicely. She was in her eighties and still going strong due to her daily health regimen. She would walk every where she went and wouldn’t eat any foods that had sugar in them. Actually, she only ate sugar-free pumpkin pie, a recipe she had developed herself, and her skin was an alarming orange color as a result. (more…)

When I was a newlywed and in my final year of college I did an internship at the state mental hospital. Once or twice during my internship we had to do these emergency drills where we all had to pretend we had an earthquake, or there was a nuclear holocaust, or some other such fun event. We had to go to our posts and pretend that we were doing the particular duty we had been assigned. Usually Dave from the janitorial staff had to pretend he was dead from a bonk on the head and we all had to figure out how we could survive with out him. (more…)

I should have known that this would be a Murphy’s Law day from the moment the phone rang at 6:30 am. The life insurance guy wanted to let me know that he would be running a half an hour late. The original appointment was set for 7:30 am but he wouldn’t be able to make it until 8:00 am. Now for most people this wouldn’t be a big deal but I am so not a morning person and Darth Vader had slept in my bed again last night, super-velcroed to my side! “Ok, that’s fine,” I croaked to Life Insurance guy. Then I tried to go back to sleep but Life Insurance Guy called back just in time to catch me as I was drifting off to sleep again. Now he wouldn’t be able to come until 11:00am to draw my husband’s and my blood to determine if we were worthy candidates for a life insurance policy. (more…)

Darth Vader slept in my bed last night. I, on the other hand did not sleep in my bed last night — not much anyway. Ok, I’ll be honest with you, it wasn’t the real Darth Vader, but I think the version that slept in my bed last night was a little bit scarier than the real one. He would slowly lull you to sleep with the deep “sshhhh, hooo, sshhh, hooo” of his breath and once you were dancing with the sandman, Darth Vader would let loose with a loud “SNORT!” and you’d be up and at ’em. It was a terrorizing strategy that he successfully used throughout the night. My Darth Vader has a much harder time competing with the real Darth Vader in the appearance category though. It’s hard to look scary in shorty batman pajamas, although the glow in the dark bat on his chest does help. If you must know the identity of my Darth Vader I’ll tell, it’s no secret, it’s my 3 year old son. (more…)

You know normally I don’t have to ask for advice from people because most of my family members like to give it to me before I even need it. So, I’m not really sure how to go about it. I guess I’ll just have to ask and hope I don’t mangle this post up too badly! (more…)

Warning: Navel gazing to follow…

In my life I have discovered that the words “I’m sorry” are among the most useful in my vocabulary. I am the type that needs utilize this phrase often. The good news for those of you who have needed it from me is that I mean it when I say it. (more…)

I’ve been asked to teach a class tonight for a stake Relief Society activity called Rejoice! You don’t have to teach this class! The goal is to provide “Tips for teaching by the spirit”. I am one of about twelve guest speakers under assignment from the Stake Relief Society president that will teach a class. There are about four concurrent classes in three segments so I won’t be teaching the entire stake RS or anything. (Besides, who knows how many people will actually show up). Still it is a little nerve racking for me. I am one of the few male speakers and the topic is a little tough – how to teach by the spirit. Talk about pressure! If I don’t manage to get the Spirit to show up for this I’m gonna look like quite an idiot. Oh well, I look like an idiot regularly enough not to care so much about that, but I do want to be useful to God if I can. (more…)

Yep, ask any my kids who daddy loves the most in the world and that would be their answer. Ask them who mama loves most in the world and the answer would be “daddy”. My kids assume that’s the way it is supposed to be and they are right. Further, they tell me they are quite happy with these facts. (more…)

It was a typically hot and dry summer in Utah Valley and I was a newlywed trying to finish up my bachelor’s degree, the only thing that stood between my and a diploma was a semester-long internship in recreational therapy. I inquired about internships at several facilities but was turned away because the intern positions had already been filled.

The state mental hospital was not far from my home so I decided that I would apply there and see how I fared. Not only did this facility have positions but there were several that I could choose from. I thought about it for a little bit and decided that the internship where I would learn the most and would be the most interesting would be on the forensic unit (the criminal lock-down unit). When I announced the decision to my family I got mixed reactions, my husband was supportive but a little bit wary and my parents weren’t too thrilled with the idea, especially my dad. (more…)

I graduated from BYU in 1994 and haven’t been back to Utah since. That is about to change my friends. (more…)

So with my newfound faith in priesthood blessings (discussed in part 2) I returned home to my husband and children ready to relax. February was waning and I was ready for an easier, less stressful time. We had some friends visiting us so we thought it would be fun for the kids if we heated up our pool so they could enjoy a mid-winter swim. On the 24th my friend and I were watching the kids swim, trying to keep track of the little ones. I had been watching my 3 year old son making sure that he didn’t get out of the Jacuzzi and into the big pool with out a life vest. (more…)