Poor Girl

On top of all the classes I take, the classes I teach, the homework I do and the practicing I should be doing, I get sick. Why? This week? And why does 2 nights in a row of Nyquil completely disable you? Or rather why haven't I learned that yet? There should be more hours in the day. The change of weather is making my body go crazy. Sometimes I miss the one season of Humboldt. SOMETIMES.

Well here I go into the third day of classes this week. All day. I love school but sometimes I just want to stay home, blow my nose and watch Jane Ayre or some girly movie like that while curled up in my nice warm bed with fussy blankets. But you cant have everything I guess.

Can't wait for this weekend.

Some things I have learned

Don't ride your bike with your mouth open at dusk

Don't walk across the grass without shoes on after it rains

You don't have to wear makeup every day- you end up touching your face and messing it up anyways

Let your husband have hobbies even if they cost a pretty penny but be careful- you might start liking his hobbies too

Treasure the little things like socks at the end of the bed

Thank your husband when he does the dishes

Ask when you need help

Don't put a load of laundry in the washer and then leave for most of the day

Maybe it's time to clean the car when there's no sweaters in your closet

Don't buy meat and put it in the fridge unless you plan to use it within three days. Don't wait a week

Remember that in five years, your life will be very different. Enjoy today before it's tomorrow.

Unusual Friday Date

Stay home and watch a movie? I think not. Colin and I went to Idaho Falls to buy a wood lathe. For those of you who dont know what that is, hopefully the pictures will help. We had no work bench or anything to put it on. So we built one.

Supplies we bought: Screws, bolts nut and washers, a 2x4 cut in half, and 2 sawhorses. We had the rest of the tools. We jimmy rigged it all up with minor complications like: our drill wasnt powerful enough so we had to screw everything in by hand, our bolt holes were off so we hammered the screws in, the sawhorses were a little too close together and we almost didnt get the nuts on the bolts. It took us almost 2 hours. With a drill that worked, it would have taken 45 minutes.

It was a good night. Good night!

Boats, Bruises and Family

Aaron and Miriam invited us to come down and go boating with them. Racing around in the boat brought back memories of going skiing with Montey and Donna at Ruth Lake almost every August. The pastries and breakfasts, mom and the orange flag, dads hootin and hollerin with the rooster tail behind that single ski, Monteys big loving smile, whiplash, soreness, burnt thighs, the familiar feeling soaking up reflected sunshine off the lake, your hair blowing in your face because you are looking backwards at the victims being dragged behind while the relentless driver smiles and laughs along with all the others in the boat.

Aaron, Colin and, reluctantly, Miriam all drove the boat. Lets give the 8 month pregnant woman a hand! Because of no dock, we had to wade out to our waist before jumping in the boat. The Hones were so generous to invite us down. Unfortunately, the other Medleys weren't able to make it but we were able to bring a few friends and Miriam brought one too. It was the most sun I had gotten all summer put together! Felt so good. It was a blast and we loved it. Thanks Miriam for bringing out the camera!

That night, we had dinner at Miriam's house. Kids were running everywhere, food was delicious, husbands hung out together while we had some girl time outside as the sunset with the 'gardening' children aka poking at the dirt with shovels and rakes. The sky and mountains were beautiful around Pleasant Grove. There was also an espionage operation headed by Aaron as we surprised Miriam with cheesecake, ice cream, and presents as a little surprise party. She is now a proud owner of a Kitchen Aid thanks to Aaron. Happy Birthday Mirs. It was wonderful to have so many family members in one place. I love it. Family is the best. We missed Gideon and Katie! We were thinkin' of you guys.

Succession of pictures: Colin jumping onto Aarons tube and eating it hard.

Creation

I recently came across a talk by Elder Uchtdorf entitled, "Happiness, Our Heritage." I read the section about creation and was touched. Creation is so much more than drawing or playing the piano. I wanted to share this section with you.

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

...

You might say, “I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop.”

If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.

But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things.

If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next.

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.

Nearly a century and a half ago, President Brigham Young spoke to the Saints of his day. “There is a great work for the Saints to do,” he said. “Progress, and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth, and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations. In the mean time continually seek to adorn your minds with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ.”

-Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second counselor in the First Presidency

I cant wait for school to start so we can cultivate my mind. I love learning.