provo will never be the same

update from provo: aenon has finally found her niche. she has finally found people equally as quirky as her. she has finally found that provo isnt such a bad place after all. that there actually are intelligent, creative, good people there who do break the mold. imagine that. before, when she was not sure if she had made the right college decision, i kept telling her, "it could be worse". she lives in a little old white house about a block away from campus, with a cute bunch of byu girls and is proud to tell me she hasnt used ronald (her car) in days. well, its all good now and the residents of provo will never be the same. when aenon told me she had "found" an abandoned bike and was now biking all over provo (to save gas and the environment no less), i pictured a cute group of byu coeds biking through the shady, quaint, tree lined streets of provo in bermuda shorts and modest t-shirts (hmmm-actually i was hoping that would be the case). well, the shoppers on center street got a rude awakening. i can just imagine all the dirty looks those girls got. why wasnt i surprised at these photos when she emailed them to me. looks like business as usual in aenonland. i guess this little outing was a dress rehersal for halloween. cant imagine what they'll come up with for the 31st.

who ever said p-town was boring.

finally enjoyed my stay

of all the vacations we have taken over the years, i have come to realize this last trip to kauai was the best. it was the very first one where i was actually relaxed. it was the first vacation i actually took a breath and looked around and tried to take in the amazing array of greens in the foliage, the amazing colors of the sky and water and the "feel" of hawaii. i finally have learned to calm down, relax and enjoy the ride. it has only taken me what, 20 years or so to figure it all out. maybe it's the fact that my children now are able to dress themselves, entertain themselves and find their own toothbrush and actually go the next step and brush their own teeth without having to be reminded 100 times-imagine that....i think that is it. my children are growing up. i have found the anecdote to my mild frustration all these years. i do admit i am missing, the total dependence, the nurturing and hands on care that became second nature. made me feel like a real mother. now i am more of a mother in carefully chosen words of encouragement and boosting self esteem-guiding gently through this crazy maze of life-rather than the mother whose hands fed, dressed and doted meticulously over 5 little children. so on that note, i really enjoyed my vacation this year. loved every bit of it. LOVED spending it with my kids. i wish they would never grow up, but then again, i am enjoying them as big kids now. can't wait till next year...

arms or legs?

are the front "arms" of a dog called "legs" or "arms"? technically, the part of the "front legs" of a dog which bends is called an "elbow" and the "rear legs" part is called the "knee". so, if that is the case, dogs have 2 arms and 2 legs. so, is it innaccurate to say that dogs have 4 legs?

consider yourself blessed if you have 2 arms and 2 legs. enough said.

dont worry be happy

for those who know me well, you know that one of my rituals is waking early and scouring the la times in the quiet of the wee hours. morning is my absolute favorite time of day-especially early morning. so when you catch me complaining about getting up with eden for seminary-dont believe anything you hear. the times has it's good and it's bad. quite possibly it is the reason why i dont think obama is so bad. and, to make matters worse i think i kinda like joe biden...so on that note, i will tell you what i read in the health section today. i thought this was really good, and want to make sure my daughters (and my son) read this.


A guide to enhancing happiness

September 8, 2008

Count your blessings. Express gratitude for what you have privately and also by conveying appreciation to others. (isnt this prayer?)
Cultivate optimism. Keep a journal in which you write your best possible future. (where have i heard this before?)
Practice seeing the bright side of every situation.
Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. When you start to dwell on problems or compare yourself to others, distract yourself with positive thoughts or activities. (dont worry till you have something to REALLY worry about)
Practice kindness.
Do good things for others. (the foundation of a good life is service to others)
Nurture relationships. Pick a relationship that needs strengthening, and invest time and energy in it. (sounds familiar again)
Do more activities that truly engage you. Increase the experiences at home or work in which you lose yourself in total absorption. (quite possibly our callings in the church will count for this one?)

Replay and savor life's joys. (ok, i have to admit i am thinking kauai-not the last stake conference)
Pay attention, delight in and review life's momentary pleasures. (i tell my kids all the time-enjoy the moment-even if youre doing something you dislike)
Commit to your goals. Pick one or more significant goals and devote time and effort to pursuing them. (boys out there-getting your eagle will make you happy)
Develop coping strategies. Find and practice healthy ways to manage stress, hardship or trauma. (good thing we know where we go when we die)
Forgive. Keep a journal or write a letter in which you let go of anger and resentment toward those who have hurt you.(good idea...i need a LARGE journal)
Practice spirituality. Get more involved in your church, temple or mosque. Read spiritual books. (even the newspaper says i should go to church)
Take care of your body. Exercise, meditate and laugh. (prayer=meditation=peace)


amen

proud vs pleased

i heard somewhere that we shouldnt say we are "proud" of our children,

we should say we are "pleased".

that proud is a bad word. hmmm, i can think of some other bad words... not sure what i think.

the dictionary says:

proud

1.
feeling pleasure or satisfaction over something regarded as highly honorable or creditable to oneself (often fol. by of, an infinitive, or a clause).
2.
having, proceeding from, or showing a high opinion of one's own dignity, importance, or superiority.
3.
having or showing self-respect or self-esteem.
4.
highly gratifying to the feelings or self-esteem: It was a proud day for him when his son entered college.
5.
highly honorable or creditable: a proud achievement.
6.
stately, majestic, or magnificent: proud cities.
7.
of lofty dignity or distinction: a proud name; proud nobles.
8.
full of vigor and spirit: a proud young stallion.

well, i was going to say i am proud of emma. but now i am going to say i am pleased with her.

she is taking life seriously.

has a good job, is never late to her job, wakes up on her own to go to her job and doesnt complain about her job. even makes a lot of money at her job.

she reminded me of the time when i told her she would be perfect if she just were a little more patient. did i really say that? anyway, cant say enough good, and cant even begin to describe her.

why we have vanity plates

i have never really understood the whole vanity plate thing. i actually have laughed out loud at some i have seen. my favorite one i think is "cotomom". i do like "sumryet" and "wkndyet" too. these ladies are driving around south orange county as we speak. i did see one license plate holder that said, "sexy italian". laughed out loud again. anything with "sexy" in it is just stupid. what are these people thinking? do they really think that will get them a date? do they really think that makes them more attractive? o, and i saw one the other day that read, "luv2mtb". what the heck does that mean?

i admit, i had vanity plate envy when i saw this one. now it all makes sense.

home alone

well, i made it through the first week of being home alone, all by myself, no kids around to keep me company. no more cereal bowls in the sink at noon or pool splashes on the picture window. the house is eerily quiet from the hours of 8:20 to 3:15-to be exact. i wonder if the house is moaning secretly, missing all the happy noises of the people it quietly shelters. hmmm...

and dane made it to 2nd grade. he also, is finding the adjustment a bit difficult. he cried one night while I was putting him to bed, saying how "the day is so long... seems like it never ends"... his big tears staining his pillowcase.

we said a prayer and asked for a blessing on elder evans. that made it all better.

www.elderjustinevans.blogspot.com

aenon is red

if i thought of a color for each one of my children, it would probably go like this-
emma would probably be tiffany blue since she loves that color so much,

eden a beautiful mossy green,

hunter a bright electric blue- just like the color of his eyes when he's really sunburned,

dane, probably a serene, mellow yellow

and aenon would be...a glorious shade of red.

her hair i think is the most amazing creation God has ever come up with.

her crimson mane should be the 8th wonder of the world.

simply amazing-and she came from me. wow