The Point System...

I apologize for the purging of blog entries...pace yourself.

So I decided a couple of days ago that this whole Earthly experience is measured all wrong. It would be so much easier if everything was on the point system. For instance, reach 1,000,000 points and you get to move on and be exalted. We could have a built in ticker (right next to the spigot that drains liquified fat and the zipper where babies come out) that tells us precisely how many points we have at any given time. Points can be awarded and taken away. Say, help an old person across the street or bake a casserole, 100 points. Yell at your innocent child out of impatience, -45 points. Yell at a child who is intentionally testing you, -25 points (it has to be fair, right?)
So, who's with me?
Then again...maybe that is how it has worked all along...

'Beak'on of strength

About a week and a half ago I walked to the mailbox with my daughters and we noticed that a poor little bird had chosen to lay her eggs in the grass of someone's side-yard. We stopped and oogled at the eggs and had "a moment". What I didn't tell the girls was that the little bird, for whatever reason (look birdie, I'm not judging, but did you know what a dumb place that was to lay your eggs?...I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go...) had chosen a very unwise place to deposit and nurture these four poor eggs who don't have a chance. We live in a populated neighborhood with a plethora of kids, dogs, possums and who knows what else. I thought for sure that these creatures wouldn't last and I was sad for her and her mistake.
Almost two weeks later, here she is
in all her motherly glory, protecting and nurturing her brood against the elements of nature (and I might add that we had a doozy of a storm last night...) All four brown speckled eggs are brilliant and beautifully accounted for.

She's a tough little girl and I stand impressed at her stamina and strength.
So keep on tiny bird...warm those eggs and bring them up right. I have been encouraged and enthused by your fortitude and resolve.
I think that tomorrow we will try to take her some birdseed, to aid her in her efforts. She's just a mom doing her best, and for that I applaud her most enthusiastically.

sometimes it skips a beat...

You know that feeling that you get sometimes when your husband walks in the room and your affection for him takes you by surprise? It's that feeling I got all the time when we were dating. Those times when I thought to myself, "wow, he's handsome" and then I suddenly remembered that he was mine.
Tonight I had one of those moments with my kids...it's not that rare. Not to say that it happens daily, but it happens and I recognize it and I'm grateful for it. It's a surge of adrenaline and excitement about what I have and what I am witnessing. It's little glimpses of my most favorite things...things that make me so overcome that I lose my breath and my heart actually skips a beat.

I seem to have lost my sense of humor. If you see it, would you please return it immediately?
Thank you.

on a side note...

I wrote a more detailed account of Clark's and my trek experience but it is very long...so if you are truly bored and have nothing else to do, go here.

Tornados, Ruby Slippers and flying monkeys, oh my!...

Clark took me on a fun date last night to see a show. We left the crazy one in charge of the kiddos, as usual, and she sent us off to enjoy an evening as adults. *I say crazy in the most affectionate of terms, and you have to read her blog to truly understand my name calling...though I'm sure the crazy in all of us can relate.
In any case, I got to curl my hair and actually put on makeup. I even wore snazzy jewelry and heels to truly feel like a girl on my date. I took a quick nap (unintentionally of course) on our way downtown and when we arrived I was refreshed and ready to go! We ate at a delicious Peruvian Restaurant next to the theatre on the balcony and enjoyed the mild Houston Spring weather. We had crispy plantains dipped in who knows what but it was yummy. We did the 'ole swappy swappy with our salmon and churassco, again with some crazy unidentified signature sauces that were de-licious...we finished off with cheesecake and some layered thingy with lots of chocolate and fresh raspberry sauce (I should have been a food critic). We arrived in our seats with a few moments to spare and enjoyed checking out the stage and scenery. The show was fantastic. We've been listening to the music for months (courtesy of my sister Amy's birthday present last year)and we were not disappointed. We had a wicked good time.

Trekkie

My bloggy hiatus is over, for now. My husband and I have been on the planning committee for our stake's youth conference which just took place this past weekend. It was a pioneer handcart trek. The meetings were plentiful, the planning rigorous and detailed, the babysitters saints. It went beautifully thanks to the many people who contributed ideas and planning do's and don'ts from past experience. We are still tired so my humor is depleted and my energy is just enough to get the house back into shape. Here are just a few pics of our great weekend. That's Clark on his best friend/worst enemy for three days--he was our trail boss and did a fantastic job.
We had tons of mud, lots of sausage and plenty of sore hands and feet. And though we prepared ourselves for a hot, humid Texas camp out we were surprised our last morning with sleet and weather in the 30's!

*Thanks Aunt Jan for your booklet! Yours will find its way back to you soon--it was incredibly helpful! I'll have to send along a pic of our finished product, thank you!

Something new!

Just kidding...I have nothing new.
When this weekend is over I will join you again with promises of gold and jewels and chocolates...OK, I don't have those things but I'll try to post something of interest...you will come back, won't you?