Old Farmer's Advice

I got this as an email, but figured it was worth sharing.

Old Farmer's Advice

Old Farmer's Advice:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

Don't judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life.. Then when you get older and think back,

you'll enjoy it a second time.

Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with,

watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence,

try orderin' somebody else's dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
--
Don't pick a fight with an old man.

If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.

And,

gotta love it...

This came through my email today, thought I'd share it this way instead. Who knows, I might be activating some curse by doing so, but I'll risk it.

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a public bathroom doorwithout using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room,because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread,because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving, because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking one’s nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).



Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip, because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.



I can't touch any woman's purse, for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.

I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes ,because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.



ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.



I no longer have any savings, because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul, because I have 363,21420 angels looking out for me, andSt.. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC, because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes, legs or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants,although I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO YOU, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to twelve of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola, because i t can remove toilet stains.



I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car, so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.



I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper, since the people who make these products are atheists, who refuse to put “Under God” on their cans.


I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave, because it causes cancer.

AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore, because it will blow up in my face, disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones or vending machines, because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls, because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me..

I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex, since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target, since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone, because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan .

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus, since I now have their recipe.

THANKS TO YOU, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine, because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE, I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot, because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.

If you don't send th is e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large pelican with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and mutant fleas from South America will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur, because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician…….



Oh, by the way.....

A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

No Success

Well, last Saturday was the first day of pheasant season here in the pheasant capital of the world. James, Ben, and I headed out into the crisp morning air to partake in the age old battle of man against birds. We had Neo and Frasier to help us with the work. Well, we got nothing... Didn't even see a pheasant in any of the areas we went to. Of course, we saw a couple flying and running out of other fields being worked over by hunters as we drove by. There are so many big groups that get together, that it is hard to compete for good areas.

All I got was sick. Sunday, I couldn't move without my head feeling like it was going to explode. So today, now that it is nice and cold and wet, and they are more likely to fly instead of run, James and Shane (a guy from our ward who lives and breathes bird hunting) get to go, with more of a chance for getting something and I'm stuck at home. Not so happy about that, but life goes on. I'll get my chance one of these days.

This is what I want to see:

It's quite an exciting feeling to have a pheasant come up out of the grass. They are beautiful birds.

Oh yea, and all Neo got was scraped from running into a barbed wire fence. He and Frasier were pretty dead after we got home. As someone I know always likes to remind us (aka, my little mother), "That work's hard when you're not used to it."

Chaos

Sometimes, chaos closes in. Your breathing tightens, your blood seems to pound through your body. You can feel yourself shaking, trembling, wishing for calm, wishing for peace. It doesn't matter how it starts, but it seems to always be there, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Once chaos finds a foothold, it's hard to get rid of. To breathe deeply, to not react, but act with calmness is a must, but sometimes, seems impossible.

When the chaos does pass, it still leaves an unsettled feeling. When will it attempt to strike again? Will it succeed? Can you ever truly get rid of it?

As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. Chaos can be eliminated, eradicated, but only with a fight. Fight fire with fire, be stronger than the chaos. Smoke it out, you can't continue with it in your system.

Oh, for moments of peace. To recreate a time when the deepest feeling you felt was not chaos, but calm. Remember it, cling to it, hold on for dear life. Life goes on, the moment will pass. "This too shall pass away..."

Change in plans

I remember when I was in high school and people would ask me about my plans for the future. I would rattle off a list that was very carefully constructed, even if not realistic and not really that well thought out. It seemed realistic to me at the time, but it didn't really have a defined goal at the end. In my ignorance, I thought I had things worked out.

Well, plans changed, life happened, and because I really didn't have a goal, I went with it. I'm not saying that where I am now wouldn't have been an excellent goal and where I would have wanted to plan on being, but I am saying I would be better off at this point if I had arrived here on purpose.

I believe it was Elder Nelson, I could be wrong, who said something to the effect that failing to plan is planning to fail.

I don't believe that my overall life to this point has been a failure, but parts of it have. Different points in my life were not as well utilized, I believe as a result that I didn't plan. What does that mean for my future at this point?

Hopefully, I've learned the lesson and will no longer face failed points in my life. Right? Right. Moving on, defining our plans, rearranging as necessary, throwing in contingency plans. Can anyone really plan for the future? When I was in high school and people asked my plans, I didn't put in marriage, because it was an unknown. How much recognition should we give to known unknowns which may/will come?

Have I failed to this point? Perhaps, in some ways. Need I fail in the future? I guess time will tell.

What I've always wanted

I have often considered myself a fearful person. I'm afraid of the dark, afraid of heights, afraid of water, afraid of failure, and the list could go on. I have done my best at moving through life despite my fears.

I used to run as fast as I could between our house and Grandma Esplin's house if I had to go there after dark. Those of you who are familiar with Orderville realize that's not that far. Seems a bit extreme, right? Well, I can now comfortably go outside and do the chores at the farm at night, without the slightest discomfiture. I can walk around town after dark, I can stay in my home with the doors unlocked, I finally feel somewhat free from some of my fears. My answer? A big, beautiful, loving, protective grey ghost.

I always wanted a dog I could stand beside and rest my hand on his back, and now I have him. Neo is an answer to more prayers than one, and I feel certain he was brought into our lives for a reason. If people can be directed to people, why can't animals?

He is only a puppy (a year old tomorrow), but I know somewhat of what he is capable of. That knowledge is a separate story and maybe one that should be shared in private if any are curious. I feel comfortable and safe as I have not done in years.

Yep, he's the one. The dog that gives me confidence and saves me from some of my fear. Who'd have thought it? But know this, he's like the Hulk, or any other super hero. He has a calm, quiet, unassuming alter ego, with raw power and strength lurking beneath the surface.

What can I say, I love our dog. Well, one of them. Frasier is another story altogether and quite a different personality. Don't get me wrong, I love Frasier, but he's in a different league altogether. He's the Jester, Neo is the Knight.

Stop Tyranny

I stole this quote from James who got it from the Glenn Beck program.

Samuel Adams (Oct. 1772)

"It is high time for the people of this country explicitly to declare, whether they will be freemen or slaves? It is an important question which ought to be decided. It concerns us more than anything in this life. The salvation of our souls is interested in the event. For wherever tyranny is established, immorality of every kind comes in like a torrent. It is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice. For they cannot live in any country where virtue and knowledge prevail. The religion and public liberty of a people are intimately connected; their interests are interwoven, they cannot subsist separately; and therefore, they rise and fall together. For this reason, it is always observable, that those who are combined to destroy the people's liberties, practice very art to poison their morals. How greatly then does it concern us, at all events, to put a stop to the progress of tyranny."

Change

The other day I had decided on making a certain change in my life-I had decided that I was going to start riding my bike again, for my benefit as well as Neo's benefit because I would take him with me. I went out to get my bike and had to change the seat and then I discovered a flat tire and I was out of time.

As I left the endeavor I was frustrated and a bit upset at being foiled in my attempt at effecting positive change in my life. I attempted at first to rationalize my failure by sayin that some of the elements of change were beyond my control. I was unable to satisfy myself with this answer because of something learned from my dad: the maximum effe range of an excuse is zero.

I did have power over the elements of change this situation. I could have and should have taken the effort and time to ensure my success rather than my failure. I re-learned that the only elements of change not in our control are people. In the future, it is up to me to take the time and effort to ensure my success and I have only myself to blame if I fail. I control the situation, the situation should not control me.

Purpose?

The other day, James was flipping through the channels, yes, he is a channel flipper, and we ended up watching part of "Everybody Loves Raymond" (except maybe me). The situation was this, Raymond wanted to prove he could be mature. They were under the impression that their daughter wanted to talk about intimate relations between men and women, so, Raymond studied up, got some books, then went up to talk to her. It turns out, she wasn't interested in that, she wanted to know why we are here, why did Heavenly Father place us on the earth. Raymond panicked, said something about Heaven being crowded and we are placed here to relieve heavenly congestions. I guess Heaven has a cold.

Anyway, he went downstairs and he and his wife were trying to decide what to tell the daughter, when his family came barging in. The following conversation was a bit sad. The father sat there and made rude and snide comments to all family members, the brother was thinking too hard in the abstract, and the mother tried to find the answer in the bible. In the end, they still weren't sure what to tell the daughter.

How hard is it to say that we are here to learn, to grow, to prove ourselves worthy to go back to live with Heavenly Father. How pointless and hopeless it would seem to live without this knowledge. For people who really don't know what to say to those questions, there is an answer.

I then remembered a professor at Southern Utah University. He talked once about using the proper tools for a job. If you are studying chemistry, you don't use physics tools, if you are studying physics, you don't use electrician's tools. When you are working on something, you use the tools that will give you the best results. When studying things of a spiritual nature, you should use the right tools, spiritual tools, not scientific tools.

Last but not least...

A tribute to one parent would not be complete without considering the other. So, a few thoughts about my little mother (although I am very glad you are the secretary now I miss asking Mrs Karen if my little mother is there).

Where do I begin? I doubt there are any other mothers out there like mine, and I mean that in a good way. She has her quirks, like eating the same thing for breakfast all the time, or spending more time outside than she originally planned to do. But few people are as 'special' as my mom ;). She is always willing to help others, she is determined, she is persistent, she is tough, she is loving (even if she does find it hard to express it to a lot of people), she is a lot of things, and each one just adds to the character that is my little mother.

A few memories:
(mom you reminded me about this one) I was shopping with her once and she hit her head on the scale in the fruit section;
How can I forget the day of the dogs? Its a long story but to sum it up mom took off down a hill, dad and I followed, and we rescued two hunting dogs. If you want the whole story just ask;
Digging the basement with a wheelbarrow and a shovel;
Hauling rocks for landscaping;
"Mom you watch the road and I'll watch the rocks." this said as she veered close to the edge of the road in Zion;
Watching movies while eating lunch- we are 'kindred spirits' (bonus something if you can name the person I quoted) when it comes to the movies we enjoy;
And last but not least, the time James, Liahna, and I surprised her at work.

So many memories of both parents and so much gratitude that I have the parents I have. They are both amazing people and I hope I can take the very best of them into my life and share it with my kids.

To my dad- part 2- memories

As I was up with Ellie last night, I had some time to think and I started with remembering moments with my dad. Here a few of the highlights I could think of.

• Going to hunt woodchucks with him, I think our total for an afternoon was 22 or 23, I'm pretty sure that was also the day he killed the rattlesnake and gave me the rattles.
• After he and mom gave me a camera for my 16th birthday, he and I went out exploring and saw some pretty cool places around Orderville, on one of the occasions he took a picture of me with the AR-15, wish I could include it, but, oh well, we had fun.
• Skipping MIA to go get a load of wood with he and Grandpa Esplin (maybe that's where I went wrong :).
• He helped me pick out John James (my first car, the Plymouth Laser), turned out he had known the lady who owned it before. It was kind of fun to watch him try to cram himself into the car with the seat where I had it.
  
• Jeeping in Steep Trails when he put the jeep in 4-lo and got out and walked a long side for a bit.
  
• He does this whistle thing at times, not an out and out whistle (although he can do that too) but a humming whistle, used to bug mom when he would do it during songs at church.
  
• hhmm-hhhhhhhmmmmmmmm (inside thing)
• How many people actually know about cv-boots in a car? Well, he helped me change an outer cv-boot on Edward (the little geo I drove my first year at college) and an inner cv-boot on John James (and that shortly after surgery without a compression thing for the spring). How amazing is that? (don't you love my terminology?)
  
• Calling him to have him drive home through Cedar one day after he got off of work at Deseret Laboratories to have him help me put together my desk.
  
• He went with me to pick up the t-shirts for the student council, making me drive the Jeep, and remained quite calm when I was the first person in line at a light on the Boulevard and killed it.
• I could always call on him when my vehicles had a problem.
  

I have many memories of my dad, and these are but a few. I'm sure those of us who know him all have our own little memories of our interactions.

The Inevitable

You know how they say that the only certain things in life are death and taxes? Well, I think that a few more things are inevitable in this life:

Most puppies will look cute;

Kids will be natural helpers if you can stand to let them;

Growth and decline in their natural order, both sometimes sad;

When a wife/mother completes something, the natural forces in the home embodied by spouse and children will unite and conspire against her to undo what she has labored to do;

Few things remain 'done';

Change is constant;

If you were born, you will die;

Kids/dogs will make messes and get dirty;

Love is not a destination, it is a journey;

The purpose of living is to learn;

We will all make mistakes;

And last but not least for now, life will go on.

Be what you is...

I’m sitting here this morning, yes it is morning, sad as it seems that I am not asleep, listening to Peter snore on the couch, and thinking about life and what it means to live. I’ve been reading blogs and looking at Facebook and thinking that life is an interesting thing. There is an old country song that says, “It takes all kinds of people to make a world” (I even double checked, it was sung by Roy Orbison). That is true, it does take all kinds of people, and believe me there are all kinds of people in this world. We each have a different idea of what life should be like, different definitions for things, different ideas of how things should be done, different paradigms that define the way we see things, different views of the same situations, different everything. It’s good to be different, to be true to yourself, within reason. But who’s to say what’s within reason? We have cultural norms which provide certain guidelines, or other belief sets which provide a pattern for living, but there is still a considerable area of grey where our differences may be expressed.

One person looks at something and says it’s this way, another says it’s that way. It may be that they are both right/wrong. Many times there is no one right answer. I used to question myself because I would attempt to judge myself by some standard that I thought was out there and I didn’t understand it. I thought it was there, but it was a figment of my imagination. Yet, during that time that I thought it was there, it placed a great weight on me because I thought I would never measure up. It took me a while to finally get it through to myself that the only standard we need to measure ourselves against is our own, but not one that we create based on what we think other’s are thinking, one that actually makes sense in our heart of hearts. We should never be made to feel worse about ourselves because of our standard, apart from recognizing that there is constant and continual room for improvement. We can and should acknowledge other’s influences on the creation of our standard. If there is someone you admire and respect, it’s okay to seek for those in them that you admire and respect, but tailor it to you and make it make sense in your life.

Think of Aesop’s fables; the one about the crow who admired the peacocks and finally, in an attempt to be as fine as the birds he admired, he stuck peacock feathers into his tail to be like them. It didn’t work of course and they mocked and ridiculed him. The crow was just as fine a bird by being the best crow that he could be, he didn’t need to pretend or attempt to be any other type of bird. I think that (and this is my view entirely) people need to be okay with who/where they are at the current time to have strength and inner encouragement to work and move forward along the line to reaching one’s standard. We should be constantly seeking to improve, but according to our own strengths and desires, not someone else’s. I also think it is important to determine some specifics in our standards and our quest for improvement. Businesses recognize the benefit of achieving milestones in the completion of things, why should the principle differ for individuals. We are what we make of ourselves. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” Are you happy with what you get? If so, great, keep going. If not, what needs to be done differently? Do you actually know what you want to get so that you’ll be able to know what you need to do to get it? It’s very unlikely that you’ll ever be successful by judging yourself by another’s standard because our paradigms are very different, and that’s ok.

We are all living, and while our lives are intertwined and we impact those around us, we are better off living our lives the best that we can. Like we learn from the movie Cool Runnings, if you walk/talk/are Jamaican, you better bobsled Jamaican. If you are you, the best you that you can be, is you, not your interpretation of someone else’s version of what you think they think you should be. If that sounds confusing, good, it should be. I can be very confusing to try to wrap your mind around figuring out what you think other’s think you should think. Think for yourself, create your own standard, but create it and then work to be it. One of my favorite quotes sums it up, “You got to be what you is, ‘cause if you be what you ain’t, you ain’t what you is.”

Random thoughts

I’ve had a lot of thoughts lately, in response to events, reading blogs, facebook, comments, etc. That’s not to say that I don’t have thoughts other times as well, it’s just that, of late, my thoughts are weighed down. I’ve never really been much of a person to share my thoughts and feelings, and I’m not sure I’m very good at it. I do want to share some things, not because I think they’ll be of value to anyone but myself, but only because I think if I don’t share, I’ll have a mental breakdown. I may have one anyway, but I do want to try to avoid it, I don’t have time for it.

To start with, I’d like to preface my thoughts with a bit of a song from the movie “Paint Your Wagon” if you haven’t seen it, see it. The words are these, “Where’m I goin’ I don’t know, when will I get there, I ain’t certain, all’s I know is I am on my way. … Oh, who gives a damn I’m on my way.” (Hope no one is offended)

Many of my thoughts have centered on our purpose in life and the journey we make during life. We are all on our way, most of us do know where we are going, and most of us have people who do care that we are on the way. Many people don’t know and don’t care where they are going and really don’t give a damn about those around them. Knowing where you are going and that you are on your way makes a difference, it truly does and just as much is knowing that people care.

I gave a talk recently in which I referred to the cartoon Dora that I “get” to watch with the kids occasionally. It is simplistic in its approach, after all, it’s for children. I used to get bothered by its simplicity, and would get caught up in telling myself that it isn’t that simple. Then, I found myself questioning why can’t it be that simple? The Lord wants us to be like children, the beauty of the gospel is in its simplicity, children know it, but because we adults like to complicate things, we try to complicate everything, even if it could and should be simple.

Life does get complicated, and busy, and stressful, and we get anxious, and nervous about things, and wonder which the heck way am I going and how did I end up going this way when I thought I was actually going another way and how do I … well, you get the idea. It can be hard to take a deep breath and untangle events and circumstances and things we need to do and get back to a simple view of life. It can take time to sort through things and get them organized, but it is well worth it.

Let’s see, where are my thoughts taking me? Into depths and realms that I would frankly rather not explore. I don’t like being or feeling vulnerable. I am uncomfortable at times with greater depths of emotions. Life can be predictable in so far as it is unpredictable and that things are guaranteed to change. This can knock us off our feet at times, but we all have a helping hand before us. As the young women’s song says, “Walk tall you’re a daughter, a child of God. Be strong please remember who you are. Try to understand, you’re part of His great plan. He’s closer than you know, reach up, He’ll take your hand.” And so, I’m reaching up, because He knows what I need, He knows what I’m feeling even if I can’t express it. Life may be complicated, but the gospel is simple, truth is simple. I’m on my way, I know where I’m going, and some people care, what more do I need?

Retrospection- what I've learned

Everyday I am faced with the passing of time. I watch my little ones grow and change and every time someone asks how old they are, it hits me how fast time flies. Sometimes it rocks me to my heels thinking about where the time has gone and how quickly it passes. My only hope is that it hasn't all been wasted. Which made me think about what I have done with my time, what have I learned in the time that has passed. Here goes:

What I've learned about me:
-I must be part pack horse (it is not uncommon to see me packing around one of the kids, especially Peter who loves piggy back rides and saying, "Run!")
-I prefer stability, structure, predictability but find them to be scarce commodities in my life right now.
-I don't mind doing the "chores" on the farm, but (an honest confession here) struggle with the daily tasks of keeping house.
-I am a major procrastinator.
-I don't like seeing people make fools of themselves because I dread the humility of making a fool of myself (this extends to movies, I highly dislike Steve Martin movies).
-I miss being a more integrated part of my family.
-I don't mind the flatness of Kansas anymore and I'm amazed at how much sky there is, and the colors out here, wow.
-I don't do repetition well.
-I love my husband and my children very much.
-I can do more than I think I can.
-"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darnit, people like me"

What I've learned about others:
-Kids are like dogs: they learn bad habits if you let them, they love unconditionally, and they chase anything that will run from them.
-You can learn a lot from children, if you can get over thinking that, because you're an adult you know more than they do.
-Kids naturally love to help (I'm learning to bite my tongue and just say, "that's okay, I can clean it up")
-Kids, at least mine, have a natural affinity for getting dirty and I say, "Let them!"
-Kids and animals go together.
-Most people need something to call their own, that they get recognition for, and that they can do well at.
-People are focused on their own insecurities, not yours.
-There are a great many good people in the world.

What I've learned in general:
-Big jobs are best done a little at a time.
-New things don't come easily.
-Brunettes can have blonde moments too (only I don't blame it on my hair, I throw in the "I have three kids" card and it usually works.)
-Time continues to pass, life goes on, and every minute that passes can bring something wonderful.

Travels

From my facebook page:

"So many things in life seem like a dream and yet, are real, that it creates a grey line in determining what is real and what isn't. I went to Pennsylvania, Virginia, drove through Washington DC and all I have seems like a dream. I know it was real, I know it made sense at the time, but as time goes on, it seems unreal, so far removed from my current existence as to seem as if it couldn't have been real and must have been a dream."

Now, a comparison of the airports I had the "pleasure?" of visiting.

• Wichita, for the simple reason that it is small and was so close to home when we came back, will be ranked top on my list.
• Minneapolis- far and away my favorite airport. It seemed cleaner and more user friendly to navigate. (Maybe that was because I beat James by sneaking on the tram and getting to the gate ahead of him, poor man had to carry Ellie the whole way."
• Washington Dulles- I felt like I was in a space movie with the big shuttles that took us from the baggage check-in point to the terminals. It wasn't too bad, once you got inside and were waiting at the gate, all the comforts of, well, an airport. Shops, food, books, bathrooms, you get the idea.
• Atlanta- I was just getting anxious to get home, didn't pay much attention. I will say I like the tram at Minneapolis better than the one here, you were above ground.
  

Another bonus, we had Ellie, so we got to skip the long lines waiting to get through security and take the family line. We didn't really have any hangups getting through. So, word of the wise, if you want to get through security fast, travel with kids, but then be prepared to deal with the kids later. Ellie traveled like a pro. She handled the flights better than I did. I wasn't scared, I actually enjoyed that, bit of a paradox for someone who is scared of heights and considers a ladder a height. Anyway, my ears pretty much did me in and it didn't help that I had a cold so that a couple days before we left my ears were adjusting and popping as I drove around Hays. I know what it feels like to be half deaf. For the first three days we were out there I literally could not hear anything out of my right ear.

Getting back to Ellie, she was wonderful. The aloofness of city people is no match for a blue-eyed smiling baby. I don't know how many people smiled as they walked by, or how many people had to stop and make some conversation about her. And to see their faces when she would smile back, I know she made a lot of people very happy. However, the downside is, she got so used to being with me, that she is on a bit of a mommy kick. The other night, at Blaine and Linda's, I had to run downstairs. I heard her crying and fussing the whole time I was gone. They thought she had gas pain or a burp, or something actually wrong with her. When I came back upstairs, Blaine gave her to me and presto-stopped crying. It's nice to be loved and needed. Liahna and Peter still won't leave the room I'm in during the day, other than for five minutes here or there.

It was a fun trip. I got to get to know family better, see some sites around DC, and go through the DC temple, what more could I ask for? Plus, the best part is, I got to come home.

temples

I think many individuals would consider James and I a bit strange. We recently had the opportunity of being around Washington D.C. What was our major interest? Not the monuments, the museums, etc. It was attending the temple there. The others are wonderful and I was glad to be able to drive around by them and I hope to visit again and see more of them. However, a trip to another temple is something I will cherish. The opportunity to get away from the world and renew myself is priceless. Thanks so much to Uncle Blane, Aunt Judy and cousin Linnea and her husband Pat.

Perhaps this video from the church will help explain our desires for the temple.