Laughter Girl

'A plan for the pieces'

2011-12-19T09:28:00.000-06:00

We ran this in the Nodaway News Leader a couple of weeks ago and I just loved it. It's written by Maryville First Christian Church Rev. Dale Stewart. Enjoy...

After weeks of shopping in the pre-Christmas craziness, the woman was just about worn to a frazzle. She had just one present left to discover and yet it was the hardest to pick out. This last gift was for her sister-in-law, the one she really didn’t like and didn’t want to buy for in the first place. But, obligation took over from desire and she surveyed the remaining possibilities. She finally found what she wanted. A tall glass vase with a few fine etchings in the smooth surface was not too personal and was just within the limits of what she was willing to spend on a present she really didn’t want to buy.

As she reached to the shelf to retrieve the vase, it slipped and fell from her hand and fell against the shelf, breaking into three pieces. Picking up the pieces, she carried them to the sales counter and was told there were no more vases like it in the store. In that moment, she created a plan that would satisfy her obligation and make her feel even better about the process.

She asked if she could purchase the damaged vase for a reduced price and was told that she could have it for just a couple of dollars. She asked if the store wrapped and mailed presents and was told that they did. The woman knew that when her sister-in-law received the broken gift in the mail, her assumption would be that it was broken in transit and the gift-giver would be an innocent victim of a careless postal service. She gave the store clerk the sister-in-law’s address and was assured that the vase would be wrapped and would arrive by Christmas Day. After hearing the sales clerk’s assurances, the woman paid for the vase, at the much reduced price and went on her way, quite pleased with her plan.

Christmas Day came and went. Three days after Christmas, a Thank You card arrived in the mail from the sister-in-law. The sneaky shopper opened the card and as she read the card, her spirit and attitude fell. The note said:

“Thank you so much for the beautiful vase. I know that a lot of thought went into its selection. I will treasure it always. And, thank you for your thoughtfulness of wrapping each of the pieces separately.”

When God chose to send a gift, the gift that began Christmas, a child born in a manger, there was no skimping or choosing the minimum. God did not send something broken, but sent someone to heal our brokenness and make us whole. The child came to heal the brokenness within us and between us. God sent the best, because that’s what you do when picking out a gift for someone you love. The greatest love always chooses the greatest gift.

Merry Christmas ... and by the way, be careful that you don’t try to outsmart the package wrappers!

"In every thing give thanks"

2011-12-01T09:53:00.000-06:00

"That they might have joy," Nodaway News Leader, 11/22/11

It’s November, a time for thinking about giving thanks.

If you’re on Facebook, you may have noticed people listing what they are grateful for in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

I decided to join in this year, but I wanted my thanks to be simple things. One short sentence of things we take for granted or things we sometimes fail to recognize as blessings.

So I started November 1st:

Day 1: I’m grateful for uplifting music. It has the power to affect you in ways nothing else can.

Day 2: I’m grateful for rain. It rained for the first time in weeks and smelled so clean and fresh.

Day 3: I’m grateful for warm blankets. After a chilly night, it was nice to snuggle up with a warm quilt.

Day 4: I’m grateful for clean socks. Who doesn’t like a clean, snugly fit pair of socks?

About this time, I heard someone say instead of being thankful for our stuff, we should value our relationships.

Hmmm...

Well, of course we should value our relationships, but I’m one who believes “In every thing give thanks” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

In every thing. Everything. Including stuff.

I have been blessed with a great family, good friends and a job that I love. But there’s so much more I am grateful for and don’t always take note of, including warm blankets and clean socks. Not everyone enjoys those comforts.

So I continued on with even more purpose to be thankful in all things.

Day 5: I’m grateful for falling leaves. I love watching them float and dance to the ground, one by one.

Day 6: I’m grateful for Grandma Lee’s macaroni and cheese recipe. More than a recipe, it carries with it memories of her making it for us as kids.

Day 7: I’m grateful for hot water. If you’ve ever had to take a cold shower when you didn’t want to, this is an easy one to be thankful for, especially on cold November mornings.

Day 8: I’m grateful for my dog, Nishna. He was missing. He returned home a couple of days later, hurt, cold, wet and exhausted, but thanks to our vet, he’s on the mend and will soon be out once again chasing tennis balls and squirrels.

Day 9: I’m grateful for snow. First of the season. Two inches of pure beauty. If only it had lasted more than a few hours.

Day 10: I’m grateful for toilet paper. Need I say more?

Day 11: I’m grateful for those who serve. 11/11/11. Veterans Day. Thankful to those who’ve fought so we can have all these things.

Day 12: I’m grateful for farmers. It’s easy to forget where all the good food comes from that we buy so conveniently at the store or at our favorite restaurants.

Day 13: I’m grateful for Apple. The influence of Steve Jobs is everywhere in my life. Work computer, laptop at home, iPods and iPhones. I can lie in bed, listen to Miles Davis while checking email, Twitter, Facebook and the weather, take pictures or videos, order a pizza or watch a BYU basketball game. All on my phone.

Day 14: I’m grateful for trees. We’re surrounded by our own little forest at home. More than just their beauty, they protect our home, clean the air and supply food.

Day 15: I’m grateful for the smell of a wood-burning stove. Smells like winter and Christmas and trees and love and warmth and home.

Day 16: I’m grateful for diversity. What a dull world this would be if everything and everyone were the same. I love learning new things about other people, places and ways of thinking and then sharing those with my children.

Day 17: I’m grateful for my fibromyalgia. Gratitude in all things means even the things we struggle with. They help us grow and learn. I’ve learned I’m stronger than I thought and that I have limitations (and that’s okay).

Day 18: I’m grateful for Hunter’s hugs. That kid has so much love for everyone. And he loves to share it.

Day 19: I’m grateful for Hannah’s smile. Her beautiful smiling face makes everything all better again.

Day 20: I’m grateful for Larry’s adventures. It’s been quite a ride. Never a dull moment.

In the days remaining before Thanksgiving, I’ll be grateful for many more simple — and not so simple — things, the relationships I value and even the stuff I enjoy.

One final thought on gratitude from English poet John Milton:

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”

It’s been a month full of everyday epiphanies that change how I view the world. Who wouldn’t want that? Gratitude in all things.

‘Modesty in appearance is always in fashion'

2011-10-25T07:21:00.000-05:00

My latest "That they might have joy" column in the Nodaway News Leader...

In olden days a glimpse of stocking

Was looked on as something shocking,

But now, God knows,

Anything goes.

(Cole Porter, 1934)

Modesty.

Do people even know what that word means today?

When I look around, it doesn’t seem like it.

Modesty is defined as a regard for the decencies of or an attitude of humility and decency in behavior, speech, dress, grooming, etc.

It’s the “dress” part that I’ve been contemplating lately. As I walk across campus or patronize a local store or visit area high schools, quite frankly, I’m amazed at what I see.

Most of it comes from young women, or even young girls, but some young men could also use a lesson in modesty as well. And it’s not just youth, there are plenty of adults out there doing the same.

It generally takes a lot to offend me. But I have no desire whatsoever to see body parts or underwear hanging out where I believe clothing should be covering them up.

Did you know in Albany, GA, you can be fined for wearing pants or skirts more than three inches below the top of your hips which exposes your skin or underwear? Fines range from $25 to $200. Similar ordinances have been passed in Delcambre, LA, and Collinsville, IL.

Now I’m not necessarily advocating government to jump in on the modesty issue. But it’s obviously a concern for many people.

For me, modesty is an outward reflection of my beliefs that my body is a gift from God.

I understand that those are my beliefs. I can and do respect others that are different. I certainly don’t think that everyone out there agrees with me on this. And that’s fine. At issue, for me though, is that a lot of people feel they must look or dress a certain way to “fit in,” even when perhaps they are not comfortable in doing so.

Clothing expresses who we are and sends messages about ourselves to others.

On most days, I’m a polo and jeans or T-shirt and sweats kind of girl. I’m sending a “I like to be comfortable, relaxed, remembering my youthful tomboyishness” message. On other days, when I have to dress up a bit more, I’m sending a “I’m dressed up because I’m going to church or work” message.

What kinds of messages are we sending or allowing our children to send?

I guess what I’d really like is for someone to stand up and say, hey, you don’t have to dress like that to be cool, hip, popular, fashionable or whatever. You’re beautiful for who you are, not how you dress.

Here are a few people who are trying to do just that...

Grammy award-winning Christian singer, Rebecca St. James, has spoken often about modesty and said she loves the “Modest is hottest” motto. She has written a book and a song about it. She believes clothing can and does influence the way you and others act.

Wendy Shalit, raised in a secular Jewish family and author of “A Return to Modesty,” argues for modesty from a feminist perspective. She believes the ‘60s women’s liberation movement actually hurt women because their goal was to be “the same” as men. But we are not the same.

Shalit believes “baring one’s belly button in public may not be as empowering as women have been led to believe” (Rachel Whitaker, “Women Under Cover”) and that modesty in dress (and other areas) is actually a way to reclaim the value of women.

She points out that “women who have rebelled against the immodest dress...have found a new self-respect they never knew was available. In addition to this, these same women have found that they are attracting the kind of men they really desire as opposed to men who approach them for their outward beauty alone” (Todd Kappelman, “A Return to Modesty”).

Christine Wanjiru Wanjala, who writes for Uganda’s The Daily Monitor, said “it is easy to blame someone’s shortcomings on decency and modesty on the way they were raised or at the very least where they were raised.”

In “Teach your child how to be modest at an early age,” Wanjiru Wanjala said with all the images bombarding children today, they can be confused about what is right and wrong. She said parents need to set a good example and teach them while they’re young.

I was raised in a home where modesty was taught at a very young age, and in turn, my husband and I have tried to teach our children about the importance of modesty and showing respect for our bodies.

I remember my daughter, Hannah, being about four or five, and we’d be out shopping. She would see someone she thought was inappropriately dressed and blurt out, “that girl doesn’t have enough clothes on.” It was usually loud enough for the person to hear. I’d smile, a bit embarrassed, and move on. But looking back, maybe it takes the honesty of a five-year-old for people to realize what they’re doing.

So does “anything” go, like Cole Porter wrote? It apparently does. But I don’t believe it has to. I believe you can dress modestly to bring out your best self, be beautiful and influence those around you.

And I have to agree with Jeffrey R. Holland who said, “Modesty in appearance is always in fashion.”

It is, at least, in my home.

"Pregnancy hormones, popping noises & putting it all into perspective"

2011-09-02T11:21:00.001-05:00

My latest "That they might have joy" column in the Nodaway News Leader...

Pop. Pop-Pop. Pop.

I was awakened by a noise I’d never heard before. Although at shortly after 3 am, I was unaware of how it really sounded.

I quickly sat straight up (or as quickly and as straight up as a five-months-pregnant woman can do).

The unfamiliar sounds were coming from outside. Or down the hallway. I couldn’t quite tell.

Someone is stealing our stuff, I thought.

“Larry, did you hear that?” I asked, nudging him in the side.

Not saying a word, he got up out of bed and walked into the hallway as I peeked out the window.

Fire. Fire. F-I-R-E!

He started shouting it as I saw it. Red and orange flames shooting high up into the air above the garage.

***

In early July of 1998, we were staying at my in-laws’ house up in the foothills of Tujunga, CA. In less than two weeks, our plans were to move to Missouri to be closer to my family. Pregnant with our firstborn, I wanted to be closer to my mom.

So we had moved out of our apartment, packed up the belongings we planned to take with us into Larry’s Toyota pickup truck and put the rest into storage.

We had only been staying there a few days when the 3:30 am wake-up call occurred.

And I thought it was someone outside stealing our stuff from Larry’s truck.

***

I like to think I remain pretty calm in the event of an emergency or under trying times (re: the stabbing in Springfield, the gun in my apartment hallway and my recent experience with a man lying in the middle of the street in Maryville... which is a story for another day).

But on this occasion, well, I was five months pregnant. And pregnancy hormones being what they are, I guess you could say I was a little less than calm.

Actually, when I saw the fire, I coolly grabbed my shoes and ran out the back door of the house along with Larry, his niece (who was also staying there) and his mother. My father-in-law grabbed a garden hose and was trying to do his best to combat the flames.

So I was doing okay, standing there in the backyard, listening to the sirens that seemed like a million miles away, winding their way up and down and around all those foothills, trying to reach the fire.

And then Larry ran back inside the house.

And so I freaked. And I screamed, calling out to him.

Not the horror-movie, high-pitched scream that my 12-year-old son has a knack for... but I did scream.

Now I’m usually not a screamer, although I can scream with the best of them -- at a football or a basketball game (just ask my brother who had the pleasure of sitting next to me when we saw Jimmer and BYU play up in Omaha last year). That screaming is called spirit.

This scream, however, was different. It was fear. Fear for my unborn child and fear for that child’s father.

L-A-R-R-Y!!!

***

What seemed like hours later, and after the firemen had arrived on scene, I learned Larry had run inside to get keys to the cars parked in front of the house. He was trying to move them so the fire trucks could get closer to the house in the crowded cul-de-sac where they live.

But he wasn’t able to save his truck. It was a total loss. And several things we had packed inside for the move to Missouri were also lost.

The fire destroyed a lot of his parents’ things. But thankfully, no one got hurt. And in the end, most of what was lost was replaceable.

***

Fire changes people. It did for me, at least.

It puts things in perspective -- People are important. Things are less so.

Although there always seems to be those few precious things that can’t be replaced, like pictures, which help us keep old memories alive.

***

I walked out of the Nodaway News Leader office just as the morning light showed the harsh reality of the downtown fire earlier this month.

I’d already been out to take pictures when it was still dark, so I was heading out to take a few more when I saw a weary Dave Weigel walking toward me. He’s been a friend of my mom’s for years and my heart sunk as I saw him coming toward me.

His business had been completely destroyed.

And typical Dave, he seemed almost upbeat about forging ahead. That is, except for when he mentioned that one drawer he wished he could get his hands on. Among other things, it included a picture of his father.

But after he took a moment, he continued on his way, smile included.

I have such great respect for those who can suffer through a tragedy, pick themselves up, and move forward with an even greater determination to do good in this world.

That’s Dave.

***

That life-altering fire 13 years ago reinforced two distinct principles (which I was reminded of after the fire on Third and Main) — one practical and one a bit more transcendent and thus a bit harder to achieve, at least for me:

1. Be prepared. Have a plan. I remember as a little girl my parents’ having a fire escape plan which we practiced regularly.

I know that helped me stay relatively calm, that is, at least until Larry went back inside the house. Also, install smoke detectors. Those tiny little machines can save lives. And change the batteries in them every six months.

2. Simplify. And by that I guess I mean refocus on what is really important in life.

All that stuff lost in the fire is not stuff I can take with me when I die. What I can take with me is knowledge and experiences with family and good friends. Treasure those things.

While contemplating these ideas again, I was reminded of transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau, who wrote “Walden; or Life in the Woods.”

Thoreau spent two years on the banks of Walden Pond where he constructed a cabin, planted a garden to sustain himself and spent his days studying and writing, with no thought of time or worldly possessions.

He said, “Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplify, simplify.”

Surely simplifying means different things to different people. For me, it’s a good purge of belongings I don’t really need every six months or so. Spending quality time with the people who mean the most. And trying to not be distracted by things that really don’t matter.

L. Tom Perry, in “Let Him Do It with Simplicity,” said, “(Thoreau) considered the time he had spent (at Walden Pond) a proper amount of time to accomplish his purpose—to experience the spiritual benefits of a simplified lifestyle.”

I love that.

Experience the spiritual benefits of a simplified lifestyle.

It took a fire for me to realize that.

A Day in the Life of ... A Conservation Agent

2011-08-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

My second "Day in the Life" articles for the Nodaway News Leader. Not quite as fun as the cows, but still pretty darn cool.

In the wild or on the water, there’s always an adventure to discover in a day in the life of a conservation agent.

Shortly after 6 am — when Nodaway County Conservation Agent Chris Campbell hops into her state-issued dark blue Chevy pickup — the temperature is quickly nearing 80 degrees. With 94 percent humidity and a forecasted high of 95, the heat index will soar above 100 before her day is over.

But that’s just another aspect of a job she’s always wanted to do.

“I knew from an early age this is something I wanted to do,” she said. “I grew up in a hunting and fishing family and always wanted to work in the outdoors. This is what I wanted, this was my goal.”

For her first assignment of the muggy morning, Campbell travels along Highway 136 east of Maryville to administer a rabbit survey. On this particular soon-to-be-scorching July day, her 20-mile survey route starts at Jet Road heading south.

It’s a standardized route and must be performed within a set timeframe, she says. Driving no faster than 25 miles per hour, she simply counts how many rabbits she sees along the road. Then those numbers are placed in a formula to determine the population for an area. She conducts other surveys throughout the year including pheasant/quail, turkey and deer.

Spotting movement some distance down the gravel road, she slows to a stop and grabs her green Steiner binoculars.

No rabbit, just a young deer who darts through the overgrown brush and out of sight.

“Normally, rabbits come out onto a county road this time of morning to get salt and dew,” Campbell says.

Rows upon rows of corn line the dusty gravel road. As we near a farm, she brakes to inspect a raccoon caught in a trap next to the field.

“I’ll have to come back to make sure he’s following the law,” she said.

Licensed peace officer

Conservation agents, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website, are “licensed peace officers of the State of Missouri who are charged with enforcing the rules of the Wildlife Code of Missouri and other state and federal laws according to the Constitution of Missouri and various statutes.”

They have a vast range of responsibilities and are expected to work many nights, weekends and holidays when people are enjoying the land and resources, and in all types of weather.

“Every day is different,” she said. “That’s one of the enjoyments of this job. It’s constantly changing. It’s always so different and exciting.”

Checking fish and game permits. Teaching students hunter’s education. Issuing speeding tickets. Searching for a missing child. Assisting with flooding. Patrolling lakes, streams and rivers. Arresting drunk drivers. Addressing landowners’ issues. Aiding the Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

“You just don’t know what you’re going to come upon every day,” she said.

To be prepared for whatever they face, she said agents are trained in everything from chainsaws and firearms to bulldozers and ATVs, lifeguarding and swimming, first aid and law enforcement.

“We’re trained in all aspects,” she said. “Our jurisdictions are completely across the state so we can enforce all the laws of the state. No other division has that cross training.”

And they are basically on call 24 hours a days, she said, with their homes serving as their offices and their state vehicles kept there, too.

“Larger areas are different,” she said. “But here, if we get a call about a drowning, for example, they want us to respond right away.”

Forty minutes into the survey, she slows the truck once again and grabs her binoculars. A rabbit. As she jots down some notes, it hops in front of us and quickly sneaks through the thick vegetation that lines the county road.

A competitive field

Born in Maryville and raised in Helena and Savannah, Campbell earned a degree in biology and chemistry with a minor in agriculture from Missouri Western.

She joined the Missouri Department of Conservation’s forestry division after college and has now been with the department for over 20 years. In 1993, she graduated from the very competitive agent training academy, where there were 2,500 applicants for 14 positions.

We turn east onto County Road 360, a more dirt than gravel road. And more mud than dirt. The narrow, shaded lane veers back south and down a hill that bottoms out into deep, muddy tracks. Campbell stops the truck and gets out to inspect it. She returns, throws the truck in reverse and backs up the bumpy road.

“We’re not going to try that,” she says. “Even with four-wheel drive, it’s no fun to get stuck in clay.”

She records the incident in her notebook. No rabbits will be counted until we meet back up on the other side.

Of the 1,500 conservation department employees, approximately 150 are agents. And depending upon the size, there’s usually just one per county, she said.

After she completed the academy, her first assignment was in McDonald County, a floating stream tourism community in southwestern Missouri.

Then in 2004, when former Nodaway County Conservation Agent Ed Higdon transferred to a supervisory position, Campbell was able to come back home.

Large hay bales dot the countryside and a cat crosses in front of us. The sun starts to beat down with more authority and intensity, although there’s still a bit of dew on the ground the sun hasn’t burned off yet.

The survey ends at State Highway AH. Campbell finishes her log and we head back north for the next stop of the day.

“One bunny rabbit isn’t a very good survey,” she says. “But not unexpected. They’ll take the time of day, temperature, etc. and compare it to other counties.”

Law enforcement

Another aspect of the agent’s job involves monitoring confined wildlife, where owners are required to have permits and meet certain guidelines. There are several different types Campbell oversees in Nodaway County, including a red-tailed hawk and a husky/wolf hybrid breeder.

We pull off the county road and onto a long gravel driveway for the inspection. She steps down out of the truck, easily recognizable as an agent by her uniform.

Each shoulder of her grayish-green top features Missouri Conservation Department patches, which flank the Missouri Conservation Commission patch on the left of her shirt and her name embroidered on the right. Her army green pants, black boots and equipment belt complete her look.

Always ready for the unexpected, Campbell’s carries a firearm, pepper spray and handcuffs. She also has a GPS unit, camera and shotgun in her truck, a boat and access to ATVs, dozers and surveillance and decoy equipment when needed.

No one answers the door, so she strolls over to where the animals are confined, checking on their shelter, sanitary conditions, water and protective measures for the public.

Most fish and game violations are misdemeanors, Campbell said, and are taken care of through a fine collection system.

“All fines go back to the county where the violations occurred,” she said, which benefits local schools. “We don’t receive funds (through fines). Our funds come through taxes and permits.”

Appointed by the governor, the Missouri Conservation Commission passes the rules and regulations.

“All of our fish and game laws fall under three categories,” she said, which are protection of animals/resources, protection of public and preservation of the public’s right to take fish and game. “Anytime we pass a law, it has to meet those standards.”

After the inspection, she heads back to the truck, makes some notes in a file indicating a return visit is needed since the owner was not home, and continues on to her next stop of the day — Mozingo Lake.

Adding up the miles

Campbell tries to patrol the public use areas in the county, Bilby Ranch, Nodaway Lake and Mozingo, every day.

She drives roughly 2,000 miles a month, which varies at different times of the year, she said. During hunting season, she averages more miles, but during the summer months, she spends more time in the boat.

At Mozingo, we head down to the boat ramp where a couple of fishermen sit in a boat nearby, chatting unusually loud for their task at hand.

The sounds of jet skis approaching, water lapping against the shoreline and a steady breeze blowing in from off the lake add to the outdoor sporting experience.

The lake is a joint effort with the city of Maryville, Campbell said, where the conservation department manages the fish and wildlife of the lake.

“Mozingo is the most popular fishing in northwest Missouri and anglers are pleased with the quality of fish here,” she said, walking to the water’s edge to test the temperature for the weekly fisherman’s report. “Eighty-two degrees.”

We hop back in the truck, drive around the park and then leave for Nodaway Lake, our last stop of the morning.

Another aspect which adds to her travels includes various post-certification training held throughout the year as well as providing aid to other areas of the state when needed, like in the wake of the Joplin tornado, and even in other parts of the country.

“During Hurricane Katrina, we were one of the first state agencies called upon. We brought our boats for search and rescue,” she said. “And right now, we’re on flood duty, helping with Buchanan County. We’ve been working around the clock.”

Agents also assist with other projects across the state, including the recent elk restoration where she provided protection for four days.

Working with the public

Of everything she does, the biggest aspect of her job is working with the public, she said. From law enforcement to private land issues and educational opportunities like fairs and school programs.

“Most of us love to hunt, camp, hike and fish,” she said. “But you also have to love the public.”

We head out around the water toward the north edge of Nodaway Lake along a lush, bumpy path, greeting a variety of insects, butterflies and the occasional dragonfly. She stops where a party of lotus plants have begun to gather. The department will treat them so they do not overtake the entire lake, she says.

Whatever her day involves, she always has to be ready.

“You’re never bored,” she said. “When you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t.”

At the end of the day, though, it’s not just a job for Campbell.

It’s a lifestyle.

“It’s a hard living,” she said. “But I do it because I enjoy it.”

'Whatever you are, be a good one'

2011-07-28T08:27:00.002-05:00

My latest column... "That they might have joy -- 'Whatever you are, be a good one'"

He waited.

It shouldn’t have surprised me. But it did.

He’d been talking about it for several years, but the answer was always the same: he would teach for just one more year.

And then another school year would pass and I would ask if he was going to retire.

No, just one more year.

So as the school year was winding down this year, I didn’t even bother to ask my father if he was going to retire. Because, well, I guess I just assumed.

And because he waited.

He waited until everyone else had announced their retirement. He waited until after the annual retirement reception. He waited until he knew there would be no hoop-la, no recognition, no swingin’ soiree. He waited until almost the very last moment to do it.

I remember walking into my parents’ house after work one day earlier this summer and he sheepishly announced that he had retired. I was speechless.

After serving for 35 years in the same position, in the same building, for the same school district, my father, Ron Eckerson, retired from the Maryville R-II School District as the vocational resource educator at the Northwest Technical School.

He was hired in 1976 as the job sample/special needs teacher at what was then called the Maryville Area Vocation Technical School. He also spent 25 years coaching, both cross country and track (and even one year of soccer), and assisted with the FACT Club. And, he worked during the summers as part of the maintenance crew, painting, refinishing floors and getting the building ready for each new school year.

More than all of his titles and responsibilities, over the past 35 years, my dad has been an influence for good for hundreds of students, athletes, co-workers, parents and community members.

He’s taken students on FACT Club trips all over the country. And he’s attended hundreds of games, meets, matches, concerts and events.

Ronnie — as some of my friends called him when he was our track coach — always has a smile on his face and a friendly wave or hello which accompanies his very dry sense of humor.

Looking back, I’ve learned a lot from the example he set through his teaching years.

He’s a very hard worker and he’s always dependable. He hardly ever missed a day of work, amassing over 300 sick days. And when he was there, he was always willing to help others out with whatever was needed.

He also deeply cares about people and is one of the most patient people I know.

His announcement — or non-announcement as it was — also brought back a flood of memories of him at the Tech School…

When we would go out to visit him as small kids, Charlie Ware would give us M&Ms to eat from the “school store” every time we’d stop by.

Playing “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego” on the computer in his room.

Turning the knobs of the vice on his work table, just one of his many “cool” building trades tools he had for his students.

Walking down the dark hallways when we were there after hours or when we were watching a ballgame on TV.

The smell of motor oil in the auto mechanics shop.

The area schools’ mascots painted on the walls.

And then the people. So many people who my dad worked with and who became friends, and some, even more like family.

He outlasted all of his vo-tech colleagues, the ones I remember from my childhood, and even many that I remember from my high school years.

Those who are there today wrote some of the kindest words to him after he retired (after they’d recovered from the shock of him leaving)…

“Thanks for all you have done for NTS and its students throughout the years. You will be missed.”

“You will be sorely missed by me and all the hard work and how responsible you are. I never had to worry that the work would be done and done right.”

“Thank you for all your years of hard work. You will be missed.”

“A word of thanks is not enough.”

“Our hearts are full of happiness for you but sadness for us and all the kids that we will have next year. You are loved and missed already.”

“It’s been a joy working with you.”

“Thank you so much for all you have done for me through the years. I already miss you!”

“I thought you were going to wait on me. But you didn’t! Good luck in anything you do. We will definitely miss you.”

His years as a teacher — and everything else that he was during that time — reminds me of a quote by Abraham Lincoln, who said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.”

That’s my dad. He’s been “a good one” … a good example, a good teacher, a good friend… to so many over the past 35 years.

By the way, dad, I know you’ll hate that I did this, but I couldn’t resist. Thanks for who you are and all you do.

a picture & quote to help you smile...

2011-07-11T12:16:00.005-05:00

This picture is of my niece, Zoe, from our recent family vacation. It makes me laugh every time I see it. Enjoy...

And I came across this "Kids Say The Darndest Things" quotes today that made me smile...

how a person learns to kiss: "it might help if you watched soap operas all day," Carin, age 9

A Day in the Life of ... A Dairy Farmer

2011-07-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

*** this is an article I wrote for last week's Nodaway News Leader ***

“Come on, girls.” He whistles, pounds a piece of plastic piping on the barn’s concrete floor and calls them again. “Come on.”

The cows move from the milking equipment out into the field and 64-year-old Richard Groves slides the lever to let four more come into the barn and clangs it back shut.

I arrived a few minutes before 6 am and he walked out of the barn to meet me with a gentle smile and handshake. Rough farmer hands, but friendly. He apologized for having me out so early to his farm northwest of Graham, where he had already rounded up the cows from the field.

“We don’t start as early as some,” he said. “I’m not a morning person. I’d rather work all night long than get up early.”

But such is the life of a dairy farmer.

“It’s a good life,” he says, “but it’s a hard life.”

Crossing the gravel road through the dust my car stirred up moments before, the scent of freshly cut hay also lingers in the air. Inside the barn, steps lead down to where Groves moves efficiently to do the morning milking, with equipment straddling his work area on both the north and south sides of the building.

5:59 am: he turns a knob on a panel and releases feed from galvanized chutes, swings the lever to open the gate and brings four cows in on the north side of the barn, then closes it again. He pulls off five or six giant paper towels from a large roll hanging near the machinery, tears one off and shoves the others into the front pocket of his jeans.

He reaches for a bottle filled with a semi-transparent solution, walks over to the first cow and dips each teat into the container to kill any bacteria. He uses the paper towel to wipe them down and squirts a little milk out of each one.

He then proceeds to hook them up to the milking unit, which includes cups that remove the milk, milker claws where milk pools momentarily as it is removed, vacuum tubes that suction it through the pipes and a pulsator that regulates the cycle.

6:04 am: as soon as he finishes the north side, he spins around, whips open the gate on the south side, turns the knob to release more feed and brings in four more cows.

And the process of dipping, wiping, squirting and hooking them up begins again.

‘Jerseys on this place’

Groves has lived on this same land his entire life.

“I grew up right here,” he said. “My grandfather registered his first Jersey in 1897.”

He started as a young boy helping his dad and his granddad.

“There have been Jerseys on this place ever since I can remember,” he says while turning around to check on his first four.

6:08 am: he grabs another bottle, filled with a deep reddish-brown colored solution - iodine - to prevent disease. He unhooks the first four cows, dips the teats into the iodine solution, then prods the cows through the barn and out into the field.

6:12 am: he releases more feed with a quick turn, clangs the lever and brings in four more on the north. He closes the gate and then starts the process of unhooking the four on the south and releasing them out into the field.

6:14 am: knob turns, feed drops, cows eye it… waiting to be let in. He turns around and starts hooking up the ones on the north.

He moves effortlessly throughout the barn wearing boots, jeans and a brown T-shirt that reads “Milk Rules -- there aren’t any.”

His dairy operation is one of only four left in Nodaway County, including the one run by Northwest Missouri State University.

And he said there are several reasons why he believes that is the case – the high costs of keeping up the farm and cattle, the swings in milk and feed prices and all of the rules and regulations they must follow. Plus, it’s a just plain, hard work.

‘one of the most tested products’

“We’re milking 56 head,” he says, which takes about an hour and 45 minutes to two hours to milk them all.

The process of milking each one, however, takes just a few minutes. From the milking unit, the milk travels through pipes and into a receiving jar and bulk tank.

Groves said they keep the milk at a 35 to 37 degree temperature and it gets picked up every other day by Robert’s Dairy in Kansas City. In that two-day timespan, they produce 3,500 pounds of milk.

“We’re down from what we were, but it’s starting to pick back up,” he said.

6:16 am: four more come in on the south, while several others wait right outside the barn, peeking through the gate, ready to get in.

6:23 am: north side off and out into the field.

Groves, who also serves on the Dairy Herd Improvement Association board, said the milk is bought by the Dairy Farmers of America.

“When the driver picks it up, he keeps a sample and it’s all tested,” he said. “Milk is probably one of the most tested products to make sure it’s safe for the consumer.”

Their facilities are also inspected every three to five months, overseen by the state milk board.

6:26 am: four more come in on the north.

6:29 am: the south ones go out.

For as hot and unbearable as the summer sun and humid heat can be on a farmer, the bone-chilling winters the Midwest is known for can be especially tough on a dairy farmer.

“When the weather’s real bad, you’re out (nearly) all day long,” he said.

The cows are kept inside, he said, which requires more work than when they’re left out in the field.

6:30 am: south ones in and hooked up.

6:32 am: north ones off and out.

The consistent flow of animals in and out of the stalls is surrounded by the repetitive, rhythmic sucking sounds, an exhaust fan whirring round and round above our heads, cows flicking flies with their tails as they buzz around and birds chirping outside the barn.

6:34 am: south ones out and four more in.

6:37 am: north ones also come in.

‘enjoy working with the cattle’

He and his wife, Sue, have one daughter, Sherry Schniedermeyer. She and her husband, Steve, who is the FFA advisor at Nodaway-Holt, have two sons, Steven and Cody. They both show livestock for 4-H and FFA and all travel to the Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska State Fairs.

“The boys had the Grand Champion cow in the (Missouri) State Fair last year,” he said. “And the same cow was the Grand Reserve Supreme at the Nebraska State Fair.”

6:41 am: the south side cows are unhooked and sent out.

6:45 am: he looks to bring in more, calls out to them, but nothing... “Looks like I’ll have to go get a bunch,” he says.

6:52 am: Groves releases the ones on the north side and heads out into the field to find the remaining cows.

While it’s a cool, breezy, not-quite summer morning with rain clouds looming in the distance, the sun starts to beat down on his balding head. As he walks through the field, guiding them into the barn, his gentle smile sneaks through, surrounded by his gray, woolly beard.

This man loves his animals. And his life.

“I enjoy working with the cattle,” he said. “You have to like working with the animals or you’re not going to do this work.”

And, he said, there’s always something new to learn.

“In the dairy business, you never stop learning. And you have to really like what you’re doing to make it work.”

7:08 am: back inside the barn, Groves drops more feed, smiles and says, “I had one where she wasn’t supposed to be.” He brings in four on the north side and the process begins again.

7:11 am: south side in.

7:16 am: north side out.

7:18 am: north side in.

Altogether, Groves said they have around 175 cows and heifers (a young cow that has not produced a calf yet), and most of which have been raised on their farm. But they also buy one or two each year from different blood lines.

And they all have different personalities.

“Some like to be rubbed down,” he said. “And others like to be left alone.”

7:20 am: three on the south side come off, but one is still pumping.

7:25 am: north off and out.

7:27 am: four more in.

7:30 am: the last one on the south side finally comes off and they all head out.

Just like their personalities are different, so is their milking lifespan, Groves said, which varies from cow to cow.

“We start them at two years of age,” he says, and laughing adds, “And I’ll keep them as long as they pay for themselves. We’ve got some who are 10-12 years old.”

7:31 am: south side in.

7:34 am: north side out.

‘always something to do’

Right now, Groves said the price of milk is good but the feed prices are really high. And the cattle use a lot of it – 1,100 pounds of feed a day.

“And that’s just in the barn,” he said. They also feed on hay, silage and wet cake out in the field.

7:36 am: north in.

7:41 am: south out.

7:42 am: Groves slips out of the barn, looking to see if there are more to come in.

A black, tan and white calico kitty lurks nearby, darting in and out of the cows while they feed. He sneaks over to a bucket of fresh milk on the barn floor, just milked separately from the rest of the cows, and laps a little before scurrying off again.

7:44 am: north out and last four in.

7:47 am: he hooks up one final Jersey on the south side.

7:54 am: north off and out.

7:59 am: the last one on the south side comes off and goes out into the field. And with that, the morning milking is complete.

But this is the just the start of the day for Groves. After the milking is over, there is plenty still to do.

“There’s always something to do on a farm,” he said.

Bottle feed the calves, or “kids” as he calls them, clean the milkers, wash the floors and clean out the barn. Then field work, planting crops, cutting hay and general farming chores.

And around 4:30 pm, a second daily milking occurs.

“It’s a hard life,” he says, “but it’s a good life.”

Wrapping up their California Adventure...

2011-06-21T17:31:00.000-05:00

I received a priceless text today from Larry, who was busy packing up all of their things from being in California for the past month.

MAN!!!! I wish you were here right now!!! But I am learning more about what u do when u pack up the kids.

He then tweeted a picture and said: I sure do appreciate better all my wife does when she packs things for our trips.

It made my day :)

Here are a few other pictures from their adventures...

Larry and Hannah went to the Hollywood Bowl to listen to Harry Connick, Jr. and Gloria Estefan.

He also took Hunter to a driving range.

And they had fun at LACMA and the Los Angeles Farmers Market.

"Say what?!"

2011-06-17T11:53:00.003-05:00

My dad recently watched "The Sandlot" for the first time EVER. How is that possible? But he hadn't seen it, and it seemed he enjoyed it. He was quoting several things... which is something my siblings and I do a lot when we're together.

"FOR-EV-ER! FOR-EV-ER!"

So I was thinking about some of my favorite movie quotes that we share when we're all hanging out. One of my all-time faves is from "Blast from the Past."

My brother, Ryan, loves to quote it...
Adam: Having been underground his entire life, and not realizing how words have changed, when he sees a black woman: "Oh my lucky stars! A Negro!"
The Woman: "Say, what?!"

Or this one:
Eve: "What have you been doing?"
Adam: "Watching television... in color!"

We also love "Christmas Vacation." There's too many to list, but here are a few...

Eddie: "You surprised to see us, Clark?"
Clark: "Oh, Eddie... If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now."

Todd: "Well, something had to come through the window! Something had to break the stereo!"
Margo: "And why is the carpet all wet, Todd?"
Todd: "I don't know, Margo!"

Eddie: "That there's an RV."

And I also love, love, love "Home Alone." Also, too many to quote...

Kevin McAllister: "I don't want to sleep with Fuller. If he has something to drink, he'll wet the bed."

Jeff McCallister: "Kevin, you're such a disease."

Frank McCallister: "Look what you did, you little jerk!"

Linnie McCallister: "You're what the French call les incompetents."

Harry: "I think we're gettin scammed by a kinde-gartner."

Harry: "Snakes! I don't know no Snakes!"

Kevin McAllister: "I took a shower washing every body part with actual soap; including all my major crevices; including inbetween my toes and in my belly button, which I never did before but sort of enjoyed. I washed my hair with adult formula shampoo and used cream rinse for that just-washed shine. I can't seem to find my toothbrush, so I'll pick one up when I go out today. Other than that, I'm in good shape."

10 more days!

2011-06-13T18:26:00.001-05:00

Lesson learned !!!

We won't be doing this ever again.

I don't know what I was thinking. And maybe I was a bit naive about how difficult it would be. But three and a half weeks away from my family was just a plain dumb idea.

They're having a grand time in LA, the city of Angels, SoCal, though, so I try to not complain too much. And I'm even getting a bit jealous since they're doing things I haven't ever done.... Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the Getty Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, El Mercado de Los Angeles. They've eaten Vietnamese and Armenian food. And, even though I've been there, they went to Disneyland, which I really missed.

But most of all, I just miss seeing their beautiful faces every day. Just 10 more days til I see them again :)

I heart Skip-Bo ???

2011-06-09T14:26:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things about road trips are looking for other state license plates ... and seeing what funny and creative bumper stickers are out there.

Having been a prior Geo owner, this one is hilarious to me:

A facebook friend recently posted one she had seen in Maryville: "Eat beef--the west wasn't won with salad!" I thought that was cute.

Then this one on a cop car:

I also loved this one:

But for me, this one takes the cake. And probably because with all of my commuting, I've thought about using this as a real excuse as I'm speeding to my destination to get to the bathroom...

I'm pretty conservative when it comes to the stickers on my car. I only have BYU ones. And so I sometimes wonder why people would put certain stickers on their vehicles. I was in Chillicothe not too long ago and saw one that stumped me. "I <3 Skip-Bo."

Skip-Bo? Really? That lady must really love her cards :)

What are some of your favorite bumpers stickers?

Cal - uh - 4 - neee - uh!

2011-06-03T15:39:00.001-05:00

What a trip! I haven't blogged in over a week, but in my defense, I was on VACATION! We took a fabulous road trip through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and on to our final destination -- California.

Our first stop was In N Out Burger.... Mmm-Mmm-Mmm.

The real reason of the trip was to visit Larry's parents and show the kids where he grew up. They'd been before a couple of times, but it had been six years since our last visit. For me, it was fun while it lasted, but I had to return to work...and they're staying for three more weeks :(

I didn't have enough time to really do much of anything, so we tried to get in as much as we could in a short amount of time.

Larry, Hunter, Hannah - Olvera Street

We hit Olvera Street (the BEST taquitos EVER) and Chinatown, stopped by the Los Angeles Temple, drove through Hollywood and Beverly Hills, tried to go up Angeles Crest but the road was closed (due to fire=flooding=mudslides), visited some old friends at church, and drove by the ocean. We also visited Universal Studios Hollywood, where Larry worked as a tour guide seasonally for five years during college. It was fun but tiring.

We started a new tradition last summer of visiting one of the Triple D (Food Network's Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives) featured restaurants. So we hit The Oinkster in Eagle Rock, CA. Larry wasn't too impressed, but I loved the pulled pork sandwich. And the french fries (where they double fry them and make their own ketchup) were to die for.

Larry and the kids have lots planned for the rest of their trip, including Disneyland, which I was sad I didn't get to go to, but happy they do :)

Also a new experience for us was taking our dog, Nishna, with us. He's traveled in the car before, but not nearly on a trip that long. He did surprisingly well... and even figured out how to get around the pet guard in the back of the car :)

'But we are up for the adventure'

2011-05-25T16:35:00.000-05:00

From my most recent column in the Nodaway News Leader...
That They Might Have Joy: 'But we are up for the adventure'

Summer is fast approaching, and you know what that means, right? Family vacation.

You know, the week you spend somewhere nice, running around with your head cut off fitting in as much as possible so that by the time you get home you’re ready for a real vacation.

Yeah, that vacation.

Growing up, my parents tried to make a vacation out our yearly trip to the Weese Family Reunion. And since Larry and I have been together, we’ve followed suit.

This year, we’re headed back to New Mexico, so for the last several months we’ve been planning our road trip.

With all of the preparations, I’ve been thinking back on many of my favorites.

The reunion is my mom’s side of the family. My great-great-grandfather, Alexander C. Weese, had 20 children altogether (my grandma, Jo Ann, has a LOT of cousins), so all of us Weese offspring get together at a different location each year.

We’ve hosted it here in Missouri, and in addition to New Mexico, we’ve also traveled to Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and California.

The year it was held in California, 2005, my dad decided he wanted to make it a mega-trip. Months were spent in planning where we would go, what routes we would take, places to stay and activities we would enjoy. We’d hit as many National Parks as we could, not only for beauty but also for education. My dad even picked up a second job to pay for it.

In the end, he and my mom had mapped out a three-week trek that took us down to Arizona, the Painted Desert and Grand Canyon, southern California, Hollywood, Disneyland, the reunion in northern California, Sequoia, Yosemite, the Redwoods, up the Oregon and Washington coast, on to Montana and Wyoming to Glacier and Yellowstone, then to South Dakota, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. There were lots of other little stops along the way as well.

It was, in the end, the summer vacations of all summer vacations.

With all of their extensive planning, however, there were, naturally, a few hiccups. Fighting amongst siblings, car troubles, a couple of less than what we thought we were getting hotel rooms.

Somewhere after the two-week mark of the journey, and after we’d left Yellowstone, we were traveling in northern Wyoming.

Let me just reiterate that my parents had meticulously planned which highways we would take along each section of the trip and how long it would take us to get from one point to the next. And this portion of the trip was no different.

At Manderson, WY, we pulled onto Highway 31. We were, it felt like, in the middle of nowhere.

I will now defer to my parents’ journal entries to tell you, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story:

Dad’s journal, July 4, 2005 - “We had planned on taking this road (Highway 31) on our FACT Club trip, but had missed the turn (then) and just about missed it again – and should have...”

This was a sign of what was to come. But in the meantime, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Mom’s trip journal, July 4, 2005 - “Saw an antelope and baby. Saw two long-legged, long-beaked birds, looked like a stork, brown in color. Hannah is watching a Care Bears movie and singing out loud with it.”

Dad’s - “We’re seeing more oil wells, antelope and wildlife, and lots more irrigation for crops and hayfields. We saw a large herd of sheep. Then had to stop. Some ranchers were moving cattle across the road.”

And then the real fun began.

Mom - “Hyattsville, WY – population 100; 4,457 elevation...”

Dad - “At Hyattsville, the road changed to gravel...”

Gravel?! This is a Wyoming state highway. Yes, we’re in the middle of nowhere, but this is a state highway.

As soon as we hit the gravel, I grabbed the atlas. A closer look revealed that, indeed, the map indicated that portions of this highway were an “unimproved road.”

Mom - “...road changed to gravel. But we are up for the adventure.”

Had we taken a closer look before our journey, we probably would have chosen a different route.

There were a few grumblings, especially from my brother who was following behind us and all of our dust in his car. But the gravel only lasted about 20 minutes and we continued on our way to Devil’s Tower.

I have reflected a lot on this experience in the years since, both because we enjoy laughing about it and also because of what it teaches.

One of the things I gained from it is that we must have a plan for our lives, so that we know where we are going and how we are going to get there.

We need to really study it out and seek which paths will help us arrive at our eventual destination. If I want to become a great chef, it’s probably not a good idea to go to a school that doesn’t have a culinary arts program.

And then, even after we’ve set our course and are closely following our plan, there will be unexpected detours or road blocks along our way. We run out of money to pay for our schooling or we get sick and cannot attend. Sometimes these things are out of our control, sometimes they are because of choices we make.

But once we find ourselves in those situations we didn’t plan on, make the best of it. Don’t get discouraged. Right your course and continue on.

I am reminded of a quote by Voltaire: “Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”

And like my mom wrote, be “up for the adventure.”

Old Books = grass, vanilla, & a tang of acidity

2011-05-16T13:12:00.001-05:00

Don't you just love the smell of old books? I love walking into a library and finding my way to where they keep all of the oldest ones. I recently traveled to Sedalia and had a need to spend a few hours in the library there to do some work.

Isn't it a grand old building? And beautiful woodwork inside, too.

I set up my laptop in an upper room called the Queens City room and enjoyed smelling the old books while I worked. There were books from the late 1800s and early 1900s about Missouri history and law among a myriad of other interests.

Sitting in there working reminded me of a study about old books and smells I read a couple of years ago. So I went searching for it and found this from the study:

"The scientists said old books smell like grass, with a tang of acidity and a hint of vanilla."

Who doesn't love grass, vanilla....and a tang of acidity?!

Don't you hate it when you hear kids say they're bored?!

2011-05-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

Well, I sure do.
The dictionary defines bored as to be weary by dullness.
But I think it just means a lack of creativity or imagination.

With that said, I found myself in a situation of being "bored" the other day. I was standing in a high school hallway, waiting outside of a room where I was going to be attending a Board of Education meeting, while the members were holding a closed session before the regular session was set to begin. Usually, there are other people there waiting with me in the hall and we can carry on some sort of conversation to pass the time. Or at the very least, there's usually some artwork or posters hanging on the walls to pretend like I'm looking at. But on this occassion, nothing. No people. No posters. Just a lonely, long, high school hallway. With nothing to do.

So trying to find some way to kill a good five or ten minutes (because, hey, I like to get there early), I pulled out my cell phone and started taking pictures of items that make up that hallway. And I realized the components that make up a hallway are pretty much the same in every high school hallway....

How boring :)

Enjoy my randomness and attempt at creatively filling my free time.

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it" -- Mark Twain

2011-05-09T12:46:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day 2011 got off to a great start. Breakfast in bed. Even though I spent 30 minutes wide awake lying in bed waiting. And while I was waiting, I listened to the kids argue in the kitchen about how best to make the eggs or fry the bacon or bake the muffins. Classic moms day. Note to new moms or moms to be: they're NEVER perfect. But they're still great. Lots of fighting, but also lots of hugs and homemade cards and fun. Another perk was dinner by Larry on the grill. And the kids helped with that, too. Hunter even served as a waiter for us. Too cute!

A friend of mine, Amy Ferguson, posted two quotes on her facebook yesterday for Mother's Day...

Roseanne Barr: "I figure if my kids are alive at the end of my day, I've done my job."

June Cleaver: "Ward, I wish Wally wouldn't use words like 'flakey' and 'kooky.'

I guess I'm hoping for somewhere in between.

2011-05-06T15:17:00.001-05:00

Testing, 1, 2, 3... 1, 2, 3. Let's see how this mobile updating of the blog goes...

'celebrating sans cervezas'

2011-05-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

Ah, Cinco de Mayo. An annual occurrence the Wood family happily celebrates with Mexican food, either in house or at a fine eating establishment. With our current state of hectic affairs, we opted for out last night. We were the .03 percent of Americans celebrating sans cervezas. (And yes, I just made up that figure, but from our surroundings, that's probably not too far off).

Larry and I both chose to eat something we'd never had before at this particular restaurant we patronized. I had carne asada and Larry had some burrito with a special green sauce (I don't remember the name). Hunter had chicken nachos and Hannah had a chimichanga.

With our upcoming trip to Los Angeles, Larry has been working with the kids on their Spanish, so we all spoke to the waiter in Spanish (this is a regular occurrence for Larry) and we tried to converse at least somewhat in Spanish with each other. The evening was fun and considered a success by all. (And leftover carne asada for breakfast. M-m-mmm!)

And, just to add a little education into this entry, Cinco de Mayo is not, like most people believe, Mexican Independence Day. It actually signifies when the Mexican army defeated a bigger and more powerful French army in Puebla in 1862 and forced the French to leave.

Drumroll, please...

2011-05-06T12:51:00.000-05:00

It's been one year, five months, three days and I don't really know how many hours and minutes (nor do I have time to really calculate that) ... but I've actually updated my blog :)

I was inspired (read = felt guilty) after starting a new series about Nodaway County blogs and bloggers for the paper (the Nodaway News Leader, of course).

I spent some time updating the look, pictures, etc. And now I have a goal to write something here, at least a few times a week. I know, big goal, huh? But I realized through all of this that I don't necessarily need to put so much work into it. I just need to write. And now they have this mobile app thing that I can update the blog on my phone. How convenient. I love technology.

So... here we go. "WRITING!" (in my best Charlie Sheen winning voice). Enjoy.

Has it really been that long?

2009-12-03T18:30:00.003-06:00

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted anything on here since last May. Hosting our family reunion in June really did me in...for the rest of the summer. And then I got this crazy notion to return to school and get a second bachelor's degree. So working full-time, going to school part-time, doing both of those in a town I live two hours away from, faking my way through my role as a wife and mother......has left me little time to do fun things like update my blog. If you want to see what's been going on in my life, I guess you'll just have to follow me on facebook and twitter. Or check out the Nodaway News Leader on both sites (which I update). Miss you all!

My encounter with a bridge under troubled water (sort of)

2009-05-11T16:50:00.003-05:00

I write a column about once a month in the newspaper where I work, the Nodaway News Leader in Maryville, MO. And after writing this last one in the May 7 edition, I thought I would share them here on my blog. Enjoy...I'll probably post some more in the future (and/or old ones).

A couple of months ago, I had to make an emergency trip home to Jamesport from work here in Maryville. If you’ve ever driven from here to there, you know there’s no straight or easy way to get there. And there are several different routes you can take.

We live out in the country, about 10 miles south of town, so I usually go what I call the “back way” or through the Grand River bottoms and several miles of gravel (er, dirt) roads because it cuts off about 15 minutes of drive time.

But if it’s been raining, I usually take a longer route because the bottoms can get really muddy and even flooded.

On this particular day, my head wasn’t on quite straight, though, thinking about what was happening at home and trying to get there as soon as possible. Although it was sunny, it hadn’t occurred to me that it had been raining the past three days.

So I’m driving along, I hit the gravel road and I realize what I’ve done.

At first, it was no big deal. There was standing water along both sides of the road, but it was still drivable. The closer I got to the river, though, the more the water was seeping toward the center, and the muddier it got. It was a real mess. The car was sliding back and forth and I was trying to keep it in the center.

I came to a spot in the road that goes down hill and then comes back up a little to a small bridge. It was looking really soggy at the bottom, so I increased my speed, managed through it and made it up and onto the bridge, where I abruptly came to a stop.

Just beyond the bridge, the road was washed out by running water.

The first thing that crossed my mind was a news report I saw on TV once where an Arizona driver moved a blockade and drove through flooded water, got stuck and had to get rescued. Such incidents, the report said, had prompted the state to pass the “Stupid Motorist Law” to prosecute people who knowingly do something stupid like that.

While there was no sign or blockade warning me that the road was flooded, and I hadn’t knowingly gotten myself into this predicament, there I sat, stuck on a bridge, in the middle of nowhere.

Did I want to become one of those stupid motorists? Well, no, but my options were to either try to proceed through it or back up.

But that was impossible. There was literally nowhere to turn around and I knew I couldn’t put it in reverse and back up through the miles of mud I had just driven through.

Now let me interject here about the water that was staring me in the face -- we’re not talking about two feet of water rushing by and probably not even six inches, but still, it was running across the road. And they always say to not drive through flood water, no matter what.

So, I looked behind me. I looked in front of me. I’m stranded there on this bridge, several miles still from home, all alone, no houses anywhere, just fields and mud and water, wondering what I should do. I had made a mistake in the beginning by choosing this path home, and now that I was there, I didn’t want to make another one.

So I looked again. Behind me. In front of me. My gut said continue on.

And so I did.

I started down the hill toward the water, trying to travel at just the right speed, praying “please don’t let me get stuck, please don’t let me be the ‘stupid motorist’ character in this story, please just let me get home.”

Well, if I had gotten stuck, I probably would be too embarrassed to share the story and portray myself as the stupid driver, although I probably am still doing that.

I made it through that rough spot with no other problems down the road and eventually made it home to my family.

The experience taught me many things. There’s the obvious lesson of don’t drive through running water. If I had it to do over again, I don’t know that I would’ve made the same choice.

Then there’s also the idea of choosing to take the right path in life. Or keeping your head on straight amid a family crisis.

But it also got me to thinking about the mistakes we make.

I made a mistake that day in driving that path home. And I’m sure I made several other mistakes that day in my relationships, as a wife, a mother, a co-worker, a friend.

Was I too proud to admit I made any of those mistakes? Or to say I was sorry? Or that I got angry? Or that I spoke too soon when I didn’t have all of the facts and didn’t realize what implications might follow?

We’re human, we make mistakes every day, and looking back at this experience, I’ve learned that it’s not okay to just say, oh, well, it can’t be changed, and just let it go at that.

Stephen R. Covey, author of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” said, “When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and learn from it / immediately.”

So here goes...my name is Jacki, I’m a stupid motorist...and I’m learning from it.

Cue Balls for a Cure

2009-04-09T01:24:00.005-05:00

Hunter's teacher from last year was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and a benefit was held for her to raise money and show support.

One of the highlights of the night was "Cue Balls for a Cure," with people shaving their heads. Larry had decided he was going to do it, which wasn't too much of a stretch for him since he normally wears his hair pretty short. But then Hunter, who is ten, decided he wanted to do it. I was so pleased with his decision. He looked a little odd, but the look grew on me quickly as his red hair started to grow back :)

Pure Madness

2009-03-21T19:55:00.004-05:00

So, it's that time of year again, March Madness. A time when everyone I know thinks I'm a little more obsessed than usual. Obsessed with college basketball, that is.

My bracket is already looking pretty sad and BYU lost in the first round to A&M (again, just like last year), but I am thoroughly loving it. The underdogs, knocking off the powerhouses. The overtimes. The crazy shots, unlikely heroes, the sheer love of the greatest game on earth, remembering madness from previous years, especially all those Cinderella stories. I realized the other day that I filled out my first bracket when I was in sixth grade (1987). Funny how time flies when you're having fun.

I read something recently by some woman about how March Madness denigrates women and society in general. While a lot of what she said made me roll my eyes (more than once), she did have some good points about gambling, commercialization, and sports participation versus sports worship. I've never gambled with my brackets. I will admit my obsession could be close to sports worship, but I'm still cooking dinners, helping kids with homework, cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, and filling out job applications for Larry (oh, and we spent several hours cleaning at the church today). So, I haven't dropped everything and am glued to the tv...but it is on so that I can listen and check the scores every now and then :)

I'm sure I could go on and on, but we've got a close one between Gonzaga and Western Kentucky!

helping a blonde lose weight

2009-03-01T17:52:00.005-06:00

As a blonde, I have to admit that I love blonde jokes, and this one really made me laugh out loud, especially since I'm trying my hardest to get lean :) Enjoy...

A blonde is overweight, so her doctor puts her on a diet. "I want you to eat regularly for two days, then skip a day, and repeat the procedure for two weeks. The next time I see you, you'll have lost at least five pounds." When the blonde returns, she's lost nearly 20 pounds. "Why, that's amazing!" the doctor says. "Did you follow my instructions?" The blonde nods. "I'll tell you, though, I thought I was going to drop dead that third day." "From hunger, you mean?" asked the doctor. "No, from skipping," replied the blonde.

Eat less. Move more.

Hmmmm...

2009-02-22T08:03:00.007-06:00

A friend of mine recently petitioned his friends to ask him some hard questions, which got me to thinking. Here are a few thought-provoking questions I came upon...enjoy!

Did Adam and Eve have navels?

Do one-legged ducks swim in circles?

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?

Why do you press harder on a remote control when you know the battery is dead?

How is the handicapped parking situation handled at Special Olympics?

How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?

If a synchronized swimmer drowns, does her partner also have to drown?

If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

If an orange is orange, why isn't a lime called a green or a lemon called a yellow?

If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it FED UP?

If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?

If sour cream is past its expiration date, is it good then?

If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the opposite of congress?

If superglue is so good, why doesn't it stick to the inside of the tube?

If the black box survives every plane crash, why not make the entire plane out of that stuff?

Isn't it a little scary that a doctor's work is called a practice?

What hair color do they put on the driver's license of a bald man?

Why is there an eject button on the DVD remote? Don't you still have to get up to get it?

Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?

Why do they call them apartments when they are all stuck together?

Why do tug boats push their barges?

Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?

Why does slow down and slow up mean the same thing?

Why is Mickey Mouse bigger than his dog Pluto?

Why do banks charge you a non-sufficient funds fee on money they know you don't have?

Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

International Space Station Astronauts

2009-02-02T12:58:00.012-06:00

One of the perks to my job is getting to cover things...mostly it's small town stuff, but occasionally it's something pretty cool. Last week was such an occurrence. One of the small schools in Nodaway County, Northeast Nodaway (where Larry taught for one year and where my kids attended for a year), is a NASA Explorer School.

The district applied to participate in a live satellite downlink with astronauts aboard the International Space Station. They co-sponsored it with Northwest Missouri State University. Several students asked questions of the astronauts and I was pretty impressed by some of them.

What are your favorite experiments on the ISS?

In today's economy, are the costs of NASA justified?

At the end of the century, where will we be at in space?

How long are you away from your family?

Do magnets work the same in space? (yes)

How fast are you going on the ISS? (17,500 mph; they go around the planet 16 times each day)

What an amazing experience for these children! I had chills and got a little emotional when the astronauts said "Hello to Missouri." It was a moment those kids will never forget (and neither will I).

Here are some of the pictures I took from work...

Miss Piggy

2009-01-24T17:11:00.003-06:00

Everybody needs a little dose of Miss Piggy every now and then.

An old friend and roommate used to impersonate her...the absolute best and hilarious!

Here are a couple of my favorite Miss Piggy quotes:

"Beauty is in the eye

of the beholder

and it may be necessary from time to time

to give a stupid or misinformed beholder

a black eye."

"I plan to write more books whenever I can find the appropriate

writing attire and color-coordinator pen."

Laughter

2009-01-22T15:28:00.002-06:00

"Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods." -- Japanese Proverb

Enjoy the day!!!

Inauguration

2009-01-20T20:50:00.007-06:00

I watched or listened to much of today's coverage of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.

I enjoyed most of it, nothing too life-changing for my liking. But there were two things that I wanted to take note of . . .

My favorite part was the benediction by 87-year-old Rev. Joseph Lowery, a leader during the civil rights movement. He concluded the prayer by saying, "We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right." It made the crowd laugh and smile...and me, too.

The second thing is a link a friend of mine shared from the Wall Street Journal, written by Barbara and Jenna Bush to the Obama girls. It's very sweet. Check it out:

http//online.wsj.com/article/SB123239885943895155.html

I, too, have a dream

2009-01-19T19:34:00.004-06:00

(Warning: my ramblings below are kind of long....and do not contain a whole lot of laughter, so please bear with me....I still think it's worthwhile, though)

Today we celebrate the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and with the inauguration of the first black US President tomorrow, I've been thinking a lot of how far we have come...and how far we still have to go.

I love the words of Dr. King and his passion for what he knew to be true. One of my favorite quotes from his is "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

I just recently came across an article from a few years ago by Patricia Digh, right after the death of Rosa Parks. She was talking about an email she had received, saying that what we needed was another Rosa Parks or another Martin Luther King, Jr.

Her response to the email was that what we actually need are "more white people who are willing to be civil rights heroes. We need white people to be as outraged about racism as people of color are. We need white people to realize that racism is not a black issue--it's a white issue. We need white people to refuse to participate in a system that privileges them over fellow human beings. We need white people to actively, visibly, and publicly examine their own role in perpetuating racism in subtle and unconscious ways, acknowledge their own part in the problem, verbalize the unearned privileges that accrue to them simply because of their skin color, and demand those same privileges for people of color.

"Fighting racism isn't only the job of people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. The next generation of civil rights activists in this nation must be white people who realize that winning this fight will be the result of individual, daily actions on their part, not grand pronouncements and history month celebrations.

"As long as we wait for national heroes to emerge, nothing will change.....Unless we wake up every morning determined to eliminate racism even when that work is difficult, nothing will change.

"The police officer who fingerprinted Rosa Parks after that fateful bus ride.....(was) asked to comment on Parks' death....(he) simply said that he had no problem with black people and that he was just doing his job. As long as we 'just do our jobs,' racism will prevail."

Dr. King's, "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered on Aug. 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Here is a portion of that speech, which I feel is appropriate still today:

"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; 'and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.'"

My kids had school today, as a snow make-up day, which really gets me going. Either have school on the holiday, or don't. But, trying to be an optimist, I hoped that the school and teachers could use at least a small portion of their day to discuss Dr. King or Rosa Parks or anything at all about the Civil Rights Movement. But when they got home from school and I asked, they both said no. UGH!!! I was happy that I had the foresight to read to them my favorite book this morning, one I highly recommend to anyone with children. It's called "Freedom on the Menu" and it's the true story of the Greensboro Sit-ins, told from a little girl's perspective. It makes me cry every time I read it. It's so real. We had the opportunity to visit the Woolworth's in Greensboro when we were in North Carolina a few years ago, after we had first read the book. Check it out.

So.............let us remember, like Patricia Digh said, "Rosa Parks is dead. The next generation of civil rights heroes must be white people."

Let's no longer be silent about the things that really matter.

The Last Three Months (in brief)

2009-01-09T16:44:00.012-06:00

Christmas at mom and dad's house...January '09.

Making egg rolls and crag rangoon.

Ryan even helped out :)

Opening presents --

Christmas evening at Grandma Uthe's house.

Christmas afternoon at Grandpa Harold and Grandma Lee's house.

A white Christmas in our snowy woods.

Christmas morning traditions...biscuits, gravy, eggs, sausage, and juice.

Christmas Eve, opening the pets' presents...Cucha, our cat, and Nishna, our dog.

Fun in the snow...Hunter, Hannah, Nishna, and Larry

What a good puppy!

And a good little kitty, too!

Hunter's 10th Birthday

The End of the Season

2009-01-07T13:54:00.002-06:00

With the college football season coming to end tomorrow night, with the crowning of the BCS champion, I just thought I'd put out this link for anyone interested to read. He says it just like I feel it....stupid BCS!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3815656

It's been a fun season, some definite ups and down for my Cougs, but I thoroughly enjoyed the year! Can't wait til next....BYU heads down to Texas to play Oklahoma in the Cowboys new stadium....should be a doozy!

Joy

2008-12-15T14:38:00.005-06:00

It's been quite a while since I last blogged...

...but I received an e-mail today from my college and just had to share the video link with everyone. Such a beautiful message at this time of the year.

Enjoy -- http://www.joytoeveryone.com/en/

Party-ing at the Chuckster's

2008-11-16T23:42:00.003-06:00

After throwing a pretty time-consuming party for Hannah's birthday in September, I decided I wanted to downsize for Hunter's 10th.....a whole lot less cleaning, before and after. He said he wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese's, and I thought that sounded perfect. He invited a friend and Hannah invited a friend, too. And I asked my sister and brother-in-law to come as well. It was the easiest party I've ever done, and I'm thinking we'll do some similar again next year.

Great anticipation....on their way inside - Quentin, Hunter, Hannah, and Teagan.

Hunter is all smiles!
Amy and Will

Watching the show, while eating pizza.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2008-11-16T23:24:00.005-06:00

My sisters, mom, and I had been wanting to have a "Girls Weekend" for months, but too much going on. One day I just up and bought two tickets to the BYU-CSU game and invited my sister, Amy, to go with me. We are both alumni and went to a game last year with our husbands. We decided to see if my sister, Christy, and my mom wanted to go, too, and they did. So our girls weekend was on....not your typical one, but I guess we're not your typical girls. We had a blast and I really needed it, to just get away and have some fun, cheering on my boys in blue.

Amy, mom, and Christy, before the game

Cosmo!

Cougs on defense....what a great game to watch in person, back and forth, with us winning in the last minute of the game!

After all of our cheering, we had to stop at IHOP to refuel.

Road Trip Anticipation

2008-10-29T07:26:00.006-05:00

In what started as a need to get away from life for a few days has turned into a girl's weekend (my two sisters, Christy and Amy, and my mom) to the BYU at CSU game. I guess we're not you're typical girls, who get away to places like the spa or something. I'm just excited they all agreed to go with me!

Anyway, as we were making some plans last night about what snacks to take and remembering where the cheapest gas is along I-80 (thanks, gasbuddy.com), I was thinking back to the many road trips I've been on that took me on that great interstate, on my way back and forth to BYU.

One of the funniest is from my freshman year. The characters in this great memory include myself and two of my best friends -- Carla (Edwards) Shields and the late Alexandria Wagley. Carla and I had known each other for years, from our church camp days. She was from St. Joe, and although we weren't roommates at BYU, we still hung out a lot and she drove back to Missouri with me on our first Christmas break. Alex was a roommate of mine (I had five that first year), and although we were absolutely nothing alike, we became the best of friends.

The trip home for Carla and I wasn't all that memorable, except for the fact that we drove through a terrible snowstorm (shocking, I know, a snowstorm along I-80 in Wyoming in the winter time). And, Carla didn't know how to drive a stick, which was what my Geo Metro was. So she drove for about five minutes and pulled over....and I drove the rest of the way home.

The trip back to BYU, however, was a great one, indeed. Alex had gone home to Texas with someone, she didn't know very well, I think, who had then decided not to return to BYU. Her parents tried to find her a ride, but to no avail, so she called me up to see if she could join us. And her parents drove her up the 12 hours from Texas.

The Geo was not very big, as I'm sure you can imagine. And Carla and I both had a ton of stuff to take back with us. So Alex showed up with a backpack (her parents shipped the rest of her belongings in the mail), and we tried to move all of our stuff around so she could fit. I couldn't even see out the back, and Alex had this tiny little hole to sit in the back seat, with Carla's huge suitcase right next to her. Every time the car turned (or was blown to and fro by a passing semi....which happened a lot in the Geo), the suitcase would ram her in the face. By the time we made it to Provo, she had a bruise on her cheek.

It was also Alex's first time driving on I-80 along Nebraska, with all of the feedlots, and she just couldn't handle the smell....not that I could then or can today either :) I think the whole way through she had her turtleneck pulled up over her nose to try to combat the odor, but it was really useless....she complained the whole time. And Carla and I just laughed. It was a lot of "Hey, y'all, that really stinks!" or "Ugh! Can't y'all do something about that nasty smell. It really reeks!"

I don't remember a lot of the other details, but we laughed until we cried and had so much fun doing it. I sure do miss Alex, but I'm sure she's looking down and still laughing about all of our crazy adventures.

This trip with my sisters and mom will provide a lot of laughs, too, just like that road trip did back then, and I can't wait....it's just what I need!

Go Cougs!!!!

Be Prepared -- Part 2

2008-10-12T20:10:00.007-05:00

So to be prepared, there are a few websites out there that I love...

http://www.providentliving.org/ (this is our church's website; very detailed, lots of ideas)

http://www.redcross.org/ (I love the Red Cross; they promote "Get a Kit; Make a Plan; Be Informed.")

www.http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Ready_in_3/ (this is the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services "Ready in 3" website; very similar to Red Cross ideas)

http://www.ready.gov/ (this is the federal government's website...also good info).
They suggest the following:
Develop a family disaster plan
• Discuss what your family should do when a disaster strikes and where you might go in an evacuation – to a shelter, hotel or to stay with family or friends. Don’t forget about pets. Many shelters will not permit them, so figure out beforehand how to care for them.
• Know and review your evacuation routes and never drive through high water.
• Develop a family communication plan. Identify a friend or relative in another state or city to serve as a point of contact in case family members are separated.
Put together a disaster kit. The kit should include:
• At least a three-day supply of food and bottled water for each family member;
• A manual can opener;
• Battery-powered radio and flashlights with extra batteries;
• First-aid kit with family members’ medications;
• Hygiene and personal care items;
• Emergency contact list and phone numbers;
• Pet supplies, especially for service animals;
• Copies of important papers including insurance policies and bank account information;
• Emergency cash or credit card in the case of an evacuation with little notice.

ProvidentLiving suggests the following:
Three-Month Supply
Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.

Drinking Water
Store drinking water for circumstances in which the water supply may be polluted or disrupted. If water comes directly from a good, pretreated source, then no additional purification is needed; otherwise, pretreat water before use. Store water in sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Consider using plastic bottles commonly used for juices and soft drinks. Keep water containers away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

Financial Reserve
Establish a financial reserve by saving a little money each week and gradually increasing it to a reasonable amount.

Longer-Term Supply
For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans. These items can last 30 years or more when properly packaged and stored in a cool, dry place. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply.

I'm no expert, and I've got a lot of work still to do to feel prepared, but I'm doing better than I did last year and hopefully will continue to improve. Good luck in your journey toward preparedness!

Here's our food storage pantry...

Don't forget the water...or the emergency kits...or the tp :)

Be Prepared -- Part I

2008-10-12T19:48:00.005-05:00

I started writing about this last month (September) when it was actually Disaster Preparedness Month, but I never got around to finishing it...but it did inspire me to work on our family plan, so I guess that's even better.

The month is supposed to be a time to think of recent disasters and take inventory of our own lives. I was thinking back to last December's horrible ice storm that hit Maryville and other parts of NW Missouri. For many, including my parents, they lived without power for up to a week.

This was the front yard of the house we own in Maryville.

This was just down the road.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said, “National Preparedness Month is an important reminder about each American’s civic responsibility to prepare for emergencies. Those with the capacity and wherewithal to help themselves must do so in advance, so that in the event of an emergency, responders can first assist those who are unable to tend to themselves. From wildfires and earthquakes in California, to hurricanes and tropical storms along the Gulf Coast, to flooding in the Midwest, recent events remind us more than ever that we must prepare ourselves and our families for a disaster. This is the time, each year, when every American should ask the question, ‘Am I ready?’”

Our church has taught principles of preparedness for many years, and my parents have been great examples to us. One of my favorite quotes about being prepared comes from L. Tom Perry:

“On a daily basis we witness widely fluctuating inflation; wars; interpersonal conflicts; national disasters; variances in weather conditions; innumerable forces of immorality, crime, and violence; attacks and pressures on the family and individuals; technological advances that make occupations obsolete; and so on. The need for preparation is abundantly clear. The great blessing of being prepared gives us freedom from fear, as guaranteed to us by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants: ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (D&C 38:30)."

Just weeks after 9/11, President Gordon B. Hinckley said this:

“I do not know what the future holds. I do not wish to sound negative, but I wish to remind you of the warnings of scripture and the teachings of the prophets which we have had constantly before us. I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh’s dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered stalks of corn. I cannot dismiss from my mind the grim warnings of the Lord as set forth in the 24th chapter of Matthew.... Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill, whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil, both at home and abroad. Let us live worthy of the blessings of heaven, reforming our lives where necessary and looking to Him, the Father of us all. He has said, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.”

More to come...

Still on the "Quest"

2008-09-28T19:21:00.007-05:00

So, it was definitely a great week for college football. Lots of upsets. Which I always enjoy.

BYU was off this weekend and they were previously ranked #11. After USC, Florida, Georgia, and Wisconsin all lost (just to name a few), BYU jumped up to #7 in the USA Today Coaches poll and #8 in the AP poll.

They are still on the "Quest for Perfection." Go Cougs!!!

Hannah gets baptized

2008-09-28T18:53:00.011-05:00

It's hard to imagine that Hannah is old enough to get baptized, but she is. It was a beautiful day for a baptism (September 28, 2008). Several family members were there to support her decision -- her great-grandmother, Jo Ann Uthe...her grandparents, Ron and Norma Eckerson...and her aunt and uncle, Amy and Will Anderson. There were also several members of our church that stayed for the baptism, which I was very grateful to see. Larry had the privilege and honor of baptizing her and it was great to see how happy they both were on Hannah's special day.

After the baptism, we all headed to our house and out to Woods Crossing for dinner. Apparently, some of us --Will-- ate a little too much and added a few pounds. Amy enjoyed grabbing the extra cushion.

And then none of us could stop laughing, especially them...

...which wore them out.

Eight is Great!

2008-09-28T18:38:00.005-05:00

Hannah turned 8 years old on September 24. She had an "Under the Sea" birthday party on the 26th and invited several friends from church and school. I tried to decorate Woods Crossing to look like the ocean...

...and the girls made sugar cookies with fish cookie cutters, painted fish suncatchers, broke a fish pinata, and opened presents ...
... and instead of having the traditional cake and ice cream, the girls decorated the sugar cookies they made, so then we ate them with ice cream. Yummy!!! It was a fun party, one I don't ever want to repeat. I was exhausted.

One Year Left...

2008-09-28T18:34:00.003-05:00

...until Larry is officially OLD. He celebrated his 39th birthday on September 13th. I made him steak and his favorite chocolate cake that my grandma Uthe makes (of course, it wasn't as good as hers, but we enjoyed it just the same).