More Sisters.

Friday during Sisters, we went into D.C. again.

 

We started by going to Arlington Cemetery. 

Absolutely humbling.  Cemeteries always remind me that I have no control.  We went to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  How grateful I am for those who serve our country and the families who have sacrificed their sons or daughters for our country.  So grateful!  We watched the changing of the guard.  It was wonderful to see so much respect from the crowd that gathered.

You can’t see the writing on the tomb, but it says, "Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God"….does anything else really matter?

We went to the Lincoln memorial.  I recently watched a TV special/series about Lincoln and Mary Todd called A House Divided—it was so informative, and increased my appreciation for him and all he did for freedom.  Seeing Lincoln larger than life, was amazing!

 

We went to the Vietnam Memorial.  Humbling.  A stark reminder of lives lost.

We went to the World War II monument quickly….we were getting tired by this point, and Annie and I were walking without shoes due to blisters.

On the way home, we tried to get into Fort Belvoir—the base that my Mom was born on.  It took several entrances to finally get in, but it was well worth it to be able to see the hospital that my mom was born in.  Boy, am I glad she was born!  Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful at finding postcards.  We really, really tried!  (sorry Papa!…like he even reads this! ha!)

This hospital was built the year she was born (1954)…just in time for her!

Magnets.

When we weren’t exploring D.C., we spent our time at Rebecca’s working mostly on a fun magnet project.  Magnetic things turned out to be our theme this year: Emily gave us magnets, Rebecca and Mom both brought magnetic measuring spoons, and then this project… 

We made decorative magnets by gluing artful/clever/funny/ meaningful magazine cutouts inside bottle caps.  It was Mom’s idea, and she came well prepared with dozens of caps that she had collected from local bars in Fairfield!  No lie!  Please, just imagine that for a moment…!!

Here is a snapshot of some of them:

 

Mine are kind of obvious: cheerios (anyone who knew me when I was pregnant knows how much I liked those…and still do, amazingly enough!), Silk Soymilk (yum!), crossword puzzle, Travel, “Love’s in Bloom” (haha! just kidding!  that is so not mine! that is Annie’s…for obvious reasons!)

These are just a handful of the ones that were made. 

It was absolutely fun!  I would never have thought it could be so much fun.  It was the perfect thing to be doing while we just talked…and we talked a lot!

Side note:  Lest you think I am “crafty”… I kind of mostly dislike crafts.  I don’t cross-stitch or use puffy paint, and I have a pretty passionate distaste for all things tole-painted.  Somehow I’m convinced these are different? 

Birthday wishes.

Thursday night I blew out candles over my favorite cake (gingerbread!) to celebrate my birthday earlier this month.  Yay for birthdays all month long!

My birthday wishers were heartfelt and I will be thrilled if they come true!

Emily wished me a year brimming with fun, fun moments to layer over the sad moments I’ve had.  Her addendum wish was that I would have my dream job as a social worker.  And I think she also mentioned that I should stay in the Grandma House with her.  So many hopeful wishes!

Annie wished that I would find my husband this year.  (oh my! a baby and a husband in one year?! Ambitious!)

Becca wished that I will get to go full-time at work very soon.  Bless her!

Mom hopes that I have had enough hard moments for a while, and that I will feel so confident in myself that the good will only shine through.

Such love!

Here’s me blowing to all of my birthday wishes!  It’s going to be a good one!

Sisters.

Thursday we spent a good portion of our day in Washington D.C.  

We spent 3 hours in the Holocaust museum.  I had been before, but loved being able to re-read and re-view things again.  This museum deserves a blog post of it’s own!  It will come soon.

We then had a tasty lunch on some benches on the mall.  It was lovely!  We enjoy being together so much! 

Annie, Me, Emily

 Annie, Mom, Me, Rebecca

All 5 of the ladies.

 

Appreciating our prenatal guest.  Becca is stunning!

Roommates!

 

Sisters!

And his bananas.

On the way home from the airport this morning, I went to The WalMart on 1300 East.  I’m always slightly skittish from the moment I step out of my car at this WalMart.  It’s a scary place.  Even scarier than the West Valley one—which I frequented during a brief 4 months of my recent past—and would think would be the scariest one in Utah.  But, it’s not.  1300 East is. 

I’m in line to buy my 4 green things (celery, green onions, relish, and cilantro) when I saw Emily Madsen (from Fairfield).  The line was long, but I was happily distracted by Emily.  The man in front of me finally made it to the checkout, and the cashier rung up each of his items, plus 2 of mine, before I noticed and put a stop to it.  But, it was too late.  The cashier lady was going to make him go over to the returns line to get his money back.  He, being super nice, and probably in a hurry, said he would pay for mine (since he already had, and didn’t want to have to get in another long line just to get a few dollars back).  I tried to pay him, but he kindly refused and left.  My other 2 items were rung up, and as I was gathering my bags, I realized he had left his bananas.  I ran out to go find him, but he was nowhere.  So, in the end, the man paid for my cilantro, my celery…and I even got his bananas. 

So, this is about to be slightly cheesy…but I really thought of this, and I want you to too.  I think one day, when we meet our Savior, we’re going to see that he paid for our sins, our heart aches, our sicknesses…and still threw in some extras—things we hadn’t planned on.  Every day I am blessed to notice little things he seems to throw in—things I didn’t ask for—things I didn’t even know I needed.  But, He knew. 

2nd Annual Sisters Week.

Since 1991 my mom and her sisters have had an official Sisters weekend each February. Her sisters, sister-in-laws, and mother get together sans children for a long weekend of talking, eating, and staying up much too late. She was always so excited to be with her sisters!

Now I know why! My sisters and mom had our first Sisters week last year. This is our second year--and we love it!

One of the fun traditions we have copied from the "Original Sisters" is Sisters gifts. We bring one of our favorite things to share with our sisters.

I was so excited about mine. I brought a Bee Bar-- a delicious smelling hand lotion in bar form. As a flight attendant I am very sympathetic to the no-liquid rule for travelers. At least my sisters won't have to worry about their lotion being confiscated by TSA!

I also brought my latest addiction to share-- Panda's licorice. (licorice and raspberry flavors).

Rebecca gave really great magnetic measuring spoons--they stick together, making them easy to find, but also easy to wash separately. So handy!

Emily made us fun and creative magnets. I am excited to make a magnet board to display them on.

Annie gave us real fresh water pearl necklaces!! She has an amazing story of how she got each one of them FREE for us. She is so Linford! So gutsy of her. You'll have to read her blog post about that!

Mom brought several fun things. During my 2 months of baby recovery, at home in CA, we had gotten the idea to make aprons! Mom is quite the seamstress (Emily appreciated the french seams)! We chose the material together, Mom bought the material, cut them, and did all of the sewing, and I did all of the ironing. So, I felt somewhat vested in them. Here we are shortly after having finally finished 14 of them (for her sisters also!):

She also made each of us her signature book-stay-opener and gave us another charm for our charm bracelets. Our first one last year was an initial for our first name. This year she gave us one that says "Sisters" on it. I will wear it proudly!

Here we are with our fun prizes!

Emily , Rebecca, Annie, Mom, Me

We were lucky to have Emily (Rebecca's sister) here for our Sisters get together!

We missed having Ofelia here! She and her family are in Honduras for the year. Fun for them...sad for us!

Washington D.C. (part II)

Sunday night, I left Rachel's, and came to visit Matthias, Rebecca, Benjamin, and Emily (my roommate and Rebecca's sister, who is also visiting!)  

Benjamin has more energy than any other living human.  He loves to play with his Aunt Emy, Aunt Annie, and Aunt Wucy.  And we like to play with him! (but wish we had as much as energy as he does...)

Mom arrived Tuesday night!

Sisters officially started last night when Annie arrived!  

Washington D.C. (part I)

Washington D.C. 041709

I flew into Washington D.C. Saturday to visit my friend Rachel.

It was a perfect day!

Perfectly pink.

My new favorite color is pink...

because of these:

Japanese Cherry blossoms...everywhere!

I also loved these:

Dogwood Tree

Our Heavenly Father is the ultimate artist!

That night we watched movies, talked, and ate this:

Purely Decadent Dairy Free Pomegranate Chip (vegan yumminess!)

Also pink.

Knock knock.

Just so you know, I'm going private.

Send me an email if you want an invite.

See you on the other side.

FSA Conference and Adoption.

Last night I spent a very long, but very productive, and very exciting evening helping plan the Birth Parent portion of the FSA (Families Supporting Adoption) Conference that will be held this year on July 31 and August 1.  I am working with some incredible birth mothers and an amazing case worker.  Everyone is so willing to help, are full of ideas, and are passionate about adoption.

If you are reading this and you  have adopted, are looking to adopt, have placed a baby, or are considering placing a baby for adoption, this conference is for you!  Come, come, come!!!  It will be amazing!  Wow, am I excited!

I am a huge advocate of adoption!  Most of you know how I feel about adoption, but if you don’t, let me tell you:

It all started when I was a 16 year old sophomore in high school.  I had to write a 14 page persuasive research paper on a topic of choice.  What did I choose?  Adoption!  Why did I choose that topic?  I have no idea-- except that the Lord must have been preparing me from a young age.  The paper was titled “Adoption—the Best Option”  (original, I know…), and focused on why unwed mothers should place their babies for adoption.  I really got excited about the research and the writing.

Who would have known that eleven years later, as a 27 year-old girl, my convictions would be challenged.  In June, after being married only 4 months, I left an abusive husband…pregnant.  As hard as it was, I knew what I needed to do.  Adoption (the best option, right?)!  Way, WAY, WAY easier said (as a 16 year-old, naive, inexperienced girl) than done (as a 27 year-old very capable adult girl)!  But, as hard as it was, and as much as I miss my little baby, I do not regret it.  I will never regret it. 

My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life.

My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life, by Julie Wright

This is a novel telling the story of a rebellious girl who is raised in an abusive home, becomes pregnant, and has to decide what she’s going to do with the baby.  Through her pregnancy, she learns more about who she really is and what she can be because of the Savior. 

Let’s just say that I was finishing this today in the galley on my airplane, and crying.  Audibly.  But quietly.  Chapters 40, 46, 47…cried through them all.  Thank you to the man in 1B who was kind enough to let me cry and not ask questions.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to Clark’s dad! 

He’s an energetic, spirit-filled, loving, playful, and involved dad…and that’s why I chose him to be Clark’s daddy.  He’s a man’s man who likes football, trucks, and playing in the dirt.  But he also sings to Clark, dances with his wife, and was thoughtful enough to stick Clark’s little burp rag in my purse last time I saw them…just so I would have something to sleep with that smells like Clark again.  Thanks Ben! 

Have a wonderful day!

Birthday (Part III)

         blendtec                 or                          vitamix

For my birthday this year (and some birthday’s to come) my parents gave me a high-powered blender.  For anyone who hasn’t tried a super-powerful blender…don’t start!  They are too expensive to need.  But, once you try it, you kind of feel like you need it. 

Here’s the thing—I originally got the Blendtec from a Costco demonstration thing.  A few weeks later I saw another demonstration at Costco for the Vitamix, and we bought it too.  Now I need to return one.  

Which one do I return?

They are approximately the same price with similar warranties.

If you have an opinion please tell me!

This is why…

I’ve now watched this too many times to count.  I love watching him laugh.  I love that his dad is singing “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission.”  I love that he has 2 parents who love him and each other.  What a wonderful life he will have!

Enjoy his little laugh!

Birthday (Part II)

My friend Nicole treated me to dinner at a delightful vegan restaurant, Sage’s Cafe, in downtown Salt Lake.  The food was delicious. I would love to be able to recreate my entre (a buckwheat crepe filled with spinach, white beans, and portabella mushrooms with a yummy vegetable puree on top). So tasty!

Nicole and I were roommates 3-4 years ago. She is a good friend—fun, passionate, interesting, adventurous, a good listener, and funny! We don't see each other nearly as often as we ought to!

You know you're emotional when you cry during this...

At first I was laughing...but by the end I was crying. Happiness!

Perfect birthday (Part I)

I held Clark for nearly 3 hours!

 

 

It was hard to let him go.

I love you, Clark!

This year I am...

Cleansing.

I was pretty busy having a baby at the beginning of this year, and never got a chance to formally welcome 2009.

After having Clark I felt like a new person. I felt cleansed. Reborn. It was the perfect kick start to my cleansing goal for the year.

I'm cleansing my body by eating healthy food, doing yoga, and running/walking. I'm flossing every day. I've never been an amazing flosser--but my parents convinced me I should be. (Have you seen the movie Ghost Town? You should. I laughed so hard my stomach ached. An important time saving advise from the protagonist- a dentist- "Only floss the ones you want to keep.") So, this year I'm flossing.

I'm cleansing my spirit by reading something every day by a prophet of God, praying more sincerely, trusting Him, and by being grateful.

I'm cleansing my mind (and spirit) by not watching television. (I watched enough TV for the next 3 years during my pregnancy...so this year I'm not going to) I'm excited about this one. It's already been so rewarding for my little spirit!

I am grateful for new beginnings. So far, 2009 has been busy with new beginnings I had never planned for. Today is another one. I'm not where I thought I would be at 28, but I feel like I am in a very good place. An exciting place with exciting opportunities! I can do anything! And that's exciting!

"Diversity"

Emily and I hosted book club at the Grandma House last Friday. I love my "diverse" book club girls. One girl from my group once commented on how diverse we are...I love it- we are all white girls, between the ages of 25 and 29, LDS, and I think we all went to BYU...though for about a year we did have a lady who was Asian and about 60 years old...diverse! But we are diverse in our phases of life (married, single, children, etc.) and our ideas. We have fun! We've been meeting once a month for about 3.5 years (though I took a hiatus for about a year. But I'm back. For good. And loving it!)

This month we read a young adult book, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games is an addictive tale, set in a postapocalyptic world. The basic premise is that the government gathers all children between the ages of 12 and 18 and selects a boy and a girl from each area of the country, in a lottery drawing. The "winner" goes to participate in the deadly Hunger Games, where they fight for their life, while the entire country is forced to watch via television. It was a stark reflection on our reality-show watching society, where we have become obsessed with survival as a source of entertainment. (i.e. Survivor).

I don't hesitate to suggest this book to anyone!

My Aunt Sally and Uncle David gave this book to me while I was in the hospital.  Can you think of a better gift?  I love books!  Thank you!

Birthday Figs.

I think dried figs are one of the tastiest treats ever! My dad knows how much I love them, and when he came to Utah for General Conference this weekend, he brought about 2 pounds of them to me as a birthday treat. He knows me well! He brought me a bag each of these kinds of figs:

I'm pretty sure these are Calimyrna Figs- my dad told me the name of them once,

but of course I don't remember...good thing he doesn't read my blog.

Mission figs.

Don't diss them until you've tried them. They are just a perfect little snack- small, sweet, and delicious!