Boredom

So it turns out I'm not so different from my children, after all.

(I know, you're shocked.)

But today, I'm filled with ennui. Discontent. In short, I'm bored.

There's nothing to read (on the internet, in my books, etc). There's nothing to watch (in my movies, my Netflix, the internet). (Plus, to be honest, watching movies without doing something else at the same time is boring to me, usually.) There's nothing to DOOOOOOOO.

(Please read that last sentence in the whinest voice you can imagine.)

When I mentioned this to my husband, he suggested options: You could work on (project A). You could work on (project B). You could do (C), or (D), or even (E). (And none of them were housework related, even.)

But none of those options appealed in the slightest. What I really wanted him to do was say, "I take the afternoon off! Pick up the kindergartener from school, and come get me from work! We'll go do something wild and crazy and fun!"

Which is what my children want me to say, when they tell me they are bored. Don't tell me to read a book, or play with play dough, or clean my room! Do something FUN with me! I don't care that you are trying to take care of my siblings, or the laundry, or the bills, or (in the case of my husband) working so that we have money to have a paycheck, I'm bored and I want something FUN to do!

How very humbling. And annoying--I thought I was a little more mature than my children.

Summertime and sandals

Summertime is coming! (Although the weather is trying to convince us otherwise. There is snow forecast for Thursday, which is fairly unamusing, and we are going from a lovely high of 79 degrees F today to 45 degrees for the rest of the week.) But I am hoping this is the last (snowy) hurrah of the season, and thereafter if the weather wants to stay at about 80-83 degrees for all summer, I'd be perfectly happy. (Okay, I'll stop pretending I live in San Diego or something.)

Anyway, I have maternity capris galore, and lots of short sleeved shirts, but the only sandals I have are (very pretty and fairly comfortable) heeled, shiny leather things. I love them for going out, or for church, but not for running around after the kiddos and taking walks. I have been on the hunt for some Teva-like (but not Teva-expensive) canvas sandals.

Which I found! Land's End (and can I take a moment to recommend their swimsuits, especially the Shapewear ones? They are expensive but are worth it, especially since my first one lasted 12 years.)...anyway, Land's End has nice sandals, normally $39.50, but until May 6, they are $29.50. And I have a coupon for free shipping, so...I just ordered them, and I am so excited to get them! Maybe it is for the best that the weather is going to be terrible until next week!

And, hey, my free shipping coupon works twice, once for me and once for a friend. So if you want to order something from them, let me know, and I'll send the code your way. (It expires on May 6, too.)

Just another day in paradise

Wedding on the Cheap

When I was in college at BYU, I was naturally surrounded with engaged people (although, oddly enough, I only had ONE engaged roommate my entire six years). Wedding planning was a common topic of conversation.

Mormon weddings (at least those in Nevada and Utah) are generally less expensive than traditional East Coast weddings (don't have to rent a wedding hall, pay a minister, usually there is no sitdown dinner at the reception, etc), but people were always looking for ways to make it a little cheaper.

One night my sister and I, and our friends, brainstormed ways to have a "traditional" Mormon wedding and reception on the WAY cheap. Here were some of our ideas:

(1) Instead of buying or making bridesmaid dresses, go to Deseret Industries (a thrift store) and buy donated dresses. Let's be honest, you're only going to wear it once, so why pay $200+ when you can pay only $5.00? And you could get something beautiful like this:


(2) Flowers are so expensive, and they die, too. How is that appropriate for a wedding celebrating life together? Much better to simply get one of those floral magazines, cut out pretty pictures of blossoms, tape or glue them onto pipe cleaners, and (if you must have scent) spray them with floral bathroom spray or something. I'll bet it would cost $20 max.

(3) We never came up with an acceptable alternative for the cake. Punch, on the other hand, is unnecessary. Just serve ice water with a few lemon slices floating in it. Still too expensive? Hang a lemon slice above the hallway water fountain. Very very classy:

(Yes, this is at my wedding. Very elegant.)

(4) Announcements and postage can be a big chunk of the budget, too. Instead of paying for your own announcements, think about all those pre-addressed announcements you've been getting through the years. (It helps if you marry later than your friends.) Carefully steam open the envelopes. After your friends' wedding, save the envelope and announcement. When it is your turn, simply take all those announcements, and with a black fine-tipped Sharpie, cross out all the personal information and insert yours. Example:

Mr. and Mrs. John Brown Ryan Smith
are pleased to announce the wedding of their daughter
Lisa Brown Megan Smith
to
Richard Hart George Johnson
son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hart Phillip Johnson

Now, (and this part is very important) you reseal the envelope with the fixed announcement inside. Write on the front of the envelope, across the address, "Return to Sender". Pop that baby in the mailbox and there you go. How thrifty!

I'm sure there were more, but those are the ones I remember. And why am I remembering this today?

Because my old roommate and good friend Emily is getting married next month (she is the one who put the lemon up over the water fountain at my wedding), and this is what I got in the mail this afternoon:

Sunburns and worms

Today I spent several hours in the front yard, trying to finish digging out our park strip. (Next step is putting down the weed barrier, then placing planters and mulch over that.)

During my morning stint, all the kids were outside "helping" me. After several near misses with the too-big shovels, I made the big kids pick up rocks instead of digging. This degenerated into worm-farming.

Look, another worm!
Quick, pick it up! Now, bring it over here! (To the flower beds in front of the house.)
Oh, it's so cute! It's name is...is...Lahlee. (Or Hember. Or some other improbable made-up name.)

All in all, I think at least 15 worms got relocated, named, and cheered into the soil of their new homes.

During the afternoon stint, the little neighbor boy came to help. R. (6) confided to me that he loves digging. In fact, he told me, he is digging a hole in his backyard.

What is the hole for, R?
Oh, to look for worms. And to bury someone in. You know, if they die, then I can put them in there.
(Blink, blink. Try not to laugh.)

(I mentioned it to his mother later--she looked horrified for a minute, until she realized I wasn't bothered or worried, just really amused.)

I also got the first sunburn of the season, although fortunately Hebs missed out this time. (Last spring, when he was still an infant, we went for a lovely springtime walk. His poor little baby head got burned so badly that it blistered and bubbled. Worst Mother Ever.)

Of course, our "last" winter storm is supposed to blow through for the rest of the week. We'll be dropping something like twenty degrees between now and Friday, just in time for my brother-in-law Tyler's graduation from BYU. So, probably no backyard picnic this weekend. But spring is really truly here!

Emmaus

Christ and disciples, on the road to Emmaus stained glass window, New York City Temple

"Abide with me; 'tis eventide.
Thy walk today with me
Has made my heart within me burn,
As I communed with thee.
Thy earnest words have filled my soul
And kept me near thy side."
Abide With Me; 'Tis Eventide, text by M. Lowrie Hofford, hymn 165

The story of two disciples, walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, is found in Luke 24. It was just a few days after the horrible events of the crucifixion, and although they had heard rumors of the miraculous resurrection, they did not understand. As they walked and tried to make sense of it all, they were joined by a third traveler. He, listening to their conversation, asked them to explain the recent events and their sorrow.

After expressing surprise at the stranger's ignorance of these events, the disciples confessed their confusion at the death of Jesus. Was He not the Christ? How could he be killed? How could all the things he taught, about eternal life and the Kingdom of God, happen now?

After expressing his surprise at their ignorance, the stranger began to open the scriptures to them. " 'Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter his glory?' " he asked. "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures..."

When the trio reached Emmaus, and the stranger made as if to go on, the two disciples begged him to stay, for the night was fast approaching. Sitting to eat, the stranger "took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them."

"And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"

I love this story.

I love the near-anonymity of these two disciples--one is named Cleopas (we know very little about him), and the other is sometimes assumed to be Luke. They are not part of the twelve, they are not presented as rich or influential. They are simply two disciples who loved Christ, and were sorrowed and troubled by the crucifixion.

And the risen Lord appeared to them! But instead of appearing as the resurrected Christ, he appears to them as a stranger. Instead of comforting them immediately, he strives to make sure they understand the great plan of redemption, the essential sacrifice required for the Atonement. He does not want to simply sweep in and take away their cares--he wants them to understand why it all happened.

I love the beautiful phrase "Did not our heart burn within us?" As they walked, and listened, and learned, the Holy Spirit testified to them. Before they even knew the stranger was Christ, they knew of the truth of his words.

And I love the end of the story. After walking all day, and at last reaching their destination, the resurrected Savior reveals himself to them. After he vanishes from their sight, "and they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together..." They rushed back to Jerusalem to share the amazing news of Christ's resurrection. They cannot even rest for the night, their excitement to share is too great to wait even that long.

I need to have more of that longing for understanding, more of that earnest reflection on the scriptures, more of that excitement to share the good news of the Atonement with the world, in my life.

Tea Party Rally, or How I Made a Fool of Myself

Yesterday the kids and I went to a Tax Day Tea Party Rally at the County Courthouse in Provo, Utah. We made signs, brought flags, and generally had a great time.


It was a little crazy for me, because it was me versus four kids, usually all going in different directions. Thankfully, Zee and Em are big enough to listen to instructions ("Stay where you can see me" and "Don't go anywhere with anyone, even kids"), so I only had to really concentrate on the little ones. Still, they are both pretty fast, so I had my hands full.

While I was trying to keep track of Hebs (even just tripoding, he is very fast), and Gee (interested in whacking things with his little flag), a photographer for the local paper, the Daily Herald, stopped me and asked if she could take pictures of my kids, for possible use in the paper.

Sure, says I. She asked their names and ages, and my name, and then started asking me why I was there. So I tried to explain a little: about how I was worried about the federal deficit, the impact it has on business and the general economy, how the Health Reform Act made things harder instead of easier, and was WAY too expensive.

(Keep in mind: During the five minute conversation, I had to excuse myself four times to scoop Hebs off the stage stairs. This was not a very calm or fluid discussion.)

She asked if the Health Reform Act impacted my life, and I started to explain how the act puts limits on your ability to use Flexible Spending Accounts, and discourages saving for health emergencies, and...she interrupted and ask, "Now, in layman's terms, what does that mean?"

I said, "Well, it means that before we could use more of our pretax dollars for healthcare, and now we can't use as much."

She thanked me and moved on. And then I started kicking myself.

Of all the things to say at an anti-tax, anti-government rally, I chose to complain about not getting a tax break? Lame, lame, LAME. And that's not even the thing I hate about the Health Reform Act, it's just the easiest thing to explain that directly affects me.

I tried to comfort myself that she wouldn't use it, that she was the photographer and not the reporter, that I had said plenty of other things...but deep down inside, I knew she'd use it. I knew I'd end up look really dumb.

And I was right. She did use it, as a caption under a picture of Gee waving his flag. (Of course, she got his name AND age wrong, using instead Hebs' information. I called and left a message at their corrections desk about that; not that it really matters.)

I'm not blaming the photographer, she did not misrepresent what I said. I was just distracted, flustered, and incoherent. Why couldn't I have said what I wrote to the editor of National Review Online, earlier that day, in response to a request for information about local tea parties:

I and my four small children are going to a Tax Day Tea Party Rally today. I am going not only for my children and (future) grandchildren, but for myself—at 33, I'm still pretty young, and I know that the runaway spending and good-intentioned waste going on in Washington are going to have a detrimental effect on my life. I agree
with healthcare reform, but I don't agree with (a) the encroachment of the federal government in our lives; (b) the underhanded, shoddy, and shady way the Reform Bill was passed; and (c) the expense and effects on small business it will have. I am still angry about TARP and the stimulus bill.

Although I can't do much (see above about four small children, number five is expected in August), I am trying to do whatever I can. That means participating in my local caucus, donating what little I can to the candidates and parties I believe in (and to NRO!), and trying to teach my kiddos about self-reliance, charity, and good governance. And going to this rally today.

Anyway, that's my side of the story, and I'm sticking to it. I'm really not as silly and inconsistent as I sounded in the news story.