I know, creative title. I'm not good at titles. A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I had to share! This LDS Public Service Announcement entitled, "Swashbucklers" was chosen by the U.S. Media Directors as the best television PSA campaign in the National Media Survey of Television Community Service Directors. Whew. Do you think they could have made some of those names acronyms? Anyway, I'm always a sucker for the LDS PSAs. TTYL. XOXO, BYOB
Today was a day of meetings. We were at the school by 9:30 am to meet with the kid's teachers. Turns out, there is another Mairyn in the class. Except she spells it 'Marin'. Go figure! We try to choose unique (but not too wild) names; and this is one of those reasons why. So I asked the teacher if the other little girl could go by her last name's initial. Because, really, these kids are in elementary, Mairyn P. Ha-ha! Mairyn you p! But guess what? That little girl's last name in Peterson. Greeaaat. The teacher suggested they just go by their last names; but c'mon, Mairyn Penrod just is too much on the playground. I think we've settled on going by Mairyn K. Her middle name is Kathleen; Mairyn Kathleen is quite a mouthful all at once, but I sometimes playfully call her Mairyn K. So, that's pretty much settled.
We rushed home to get the upstairs in order for our next meeting. My Visiting Teachers were paying their first visit. Very nice ladies and their combined total of kids came with; 4 1/2 to be exact. The other gal is very pregnant. All under the age of 5. Fortunately, I don't have anything out yet that can be broken or messed up. And if I did, Grant already broke it.
Later in the afternoon, my Hometeachers came. But, I am unique. The bishop thought that I might feel uncomfortable with two men visiting every month or when I needed help, so he assigned me this nice married couple. Hey, I actually have a chance at getting cookies from my VTs & HTs! At each visit, each companionship (of course) asked if there was anything they could do, just call. I told them I'm really in a holding pattern right now. Not much more can be done upstairs until the downstairs is done. It's like one of those 9 square puzzles that you get from a cheap arcade game. You have to rearrange the squares to make the complete picture, with only one extra space. And that's how my house is right now. The computer is displaced to the kitchen because the girls are sleeping in what will become my office, towels are still in boxes because they are being displaced by the girl's clothing which is in the hall closet which will become the linen closet, and so on and so forth.
The last meeting we had today was an old friend to me, but a new experience for the kids. Artichokes. Mairyn picked one up by the stem and asked if we could buy one. Ooo-kay, let's try it. And it was a hit. We actually had a great dinner, but it's not one that can be a regular. Menu: Fresh corn on the cob, watermelon, ripe peaches, & artichoke. And it was fast. I'm going to make it as often as I can before the wonderful summer produce disappears.
So the last day of our cross country journey was, well, hard to sum up. What should have been a 9 hour drive turned into a 13 hour trek.
We pulled out of Fort Collins, CO right on schedule at 6:15 am. We plow north and about 8 miles outside of Laramie, WY, I heard this weird, thumping noise. And right as I'm passing a convienient pull out area. Great. I'm trying to figure out if it's coming from the engine? No. A flat tire? But I'm not losing speed. I pull over anyway, step out and hear a loud, hissing noise coming from the rear driver's side tire. It had to be the one facing the road, huh? Right when I pulled over, another van pulled off in front of me. A tall guy in a baseball cap steps out of his minivan, laden with his own 4 children and wife.
"Can we help you?" he asks.
Through my tears, I can only nod my head and show him the offending tire.
"We saw you about a mile back and noticed something wrong with your tire. And then we saw the kids in back and you alone in the front seat. Thought you could use some help."
So him and his wife help me start unloading the back of the van because that's where the spare and jack are so well hidden. We start talking a bit and they are moving cross country too, from Virginia. Herndon, Virginia. They've been there 5 years since they graduated from BYU and now are moving back to the valley. They moved to the Herndon ward a few months before we moved out. It's a small world. He finishes up, we repack the car with the flat tire at Eliza's feet and I thank them profusely. I know I could have changed that tire, done it before, but I didn't have to. I did not even have time to stand on the side of the road and wonder what I was going to do.
I got back on the freeway and turned around in one of those median driveways. The ones where cops sit and wait to catch speeders. The ones that have a huge sign that says, "For authorized emergency vehicles only." Yep, I fit. My vehicle is in an emergency.
Scrolling through the "Auto Services" menu in Gina (the GPS), I pick the first one that has 'tire' in it's title and have her direct me there. I poke along at 55 mph the 8 miles back to Laramie and find Advanced Automotive and Tire. I pull up and walk into the office. A nice guy in there asks me what he can do for me. I explain the flat and much needed repair of my tire. He says that he'd be more than happy to help, but he's still getting the necessary tools to patch tires. But don't worry, he has a friend that can do it. He notices my license plates and says,
"1M, that's Rexburg, right?"
Yes, yes it is. He then kind of hems & ums a bit and then asks me,
"Well, then, ah, if I could ask, um, are you, uh, LDS?"
Yes, yes I am.
"So am I! Nice to meet you. My son and his wife are at BYU and just had their first baby last week!"
He pulls out pictures, and I mention that my parents used to live in Laramie. Yes, he remembers them. He then gets out his card, flips it over and writes his cell phone number on the back. I am to call him if I have any more problems today. No matter where I am, just call him up and he'll come or find someone who can. And if we find that we have to stay the night, please, call him up and we can stay with his family. I, again, thank him profusely and drive over to the garage where they patch my tire and give Optimus a clean bill of health.
Now, we have been delayed by 2 hours; the kids are hungry and I know that crackers and cheese sticks won't suffice. It's still only 9:30 am, so we find a breakfast place and they fill their little tummies. 10:10 am, we're back on the road and everyone is happy. I do get a little nervous as I pass between mile marker 306, hoping that history won't repeat itself. It doesn't and things are going smoothly. When we reach Rawlins, I have a half tank and decide to fill up. In Wyoming, you never know! After gassing up, right as we are easing back onto I-80, Jacqueline starts barfing. Great. Fortunately, there is one more exit for Rawlins and we pull off. I try to clean her up, but handi-wipes just won't cut it. There is a Best Western across the parking lot and I run in to ask if we can use their restrooms. They oblige and I bring J in, along with clean clothes. I clean her up and as I'm rinsing clothes in the sink, she's dancing a little jig by the paper towels. Ok, she seems fine! Maybe it was just a little car sickness.
Maybe not. About 2 hours down the road, she starts barfing again and keeps at it for the next 5. Each little hotel I see, I am sorely tempted to just give up for the day. I just can't. Though I am sick of driving, I'm sick of sleeping in hotel rooms, bringing in our toiletries and underwear, not having enough pillows or blankets. I just can't do it anymore. We finally limp into Rexburg and park in the driveway. Is this just a mirage or are we really here? We are.
Another South Dakota view
P.S. I wish that I could say that I slept like a rock, am rested and ready to dive into all the work I have to do here. But I can't. Jacqui still wouldn't keep even water down late into the night. She spiked a fever and slept restlessly. About 1 am, she started keeping down her drinks of water. She would wake up about every 30 minutes for another drink, then lay down again. She's sleeping fine, now, after a breakfast of juice and bread. And no more fever. Insha'allah.
*For more charitable, inspiring and service related posts, ideas, projects and contests, go to The Service Soapbox.
Visiting upstate New York was an adventure for all of us. It was (surprisingly) a state I hadn't been to yet. (outside of LaGuardia and JFK) Driving to Palmyra, we were set on taking it all in. My form of "absorbing" is taking pictures. Way too many pictures, in some people's opinions. Not mine. There can never be too many pictures. ;) We set out for the Joseph Smith Farm first and stumbled upon the Palmyra Temple first. It was on the list of places to visit, we just didn't expect to find it without looking. Really, everything we were going to see was like going to the monuments in D.C. It's all right there, within a few miles of each other. Although, back then, the mode of transportation was either on foot or horse, soooo. Anyway, here is the fam on the lawn by the temple. I love tripods. What doesn't show on our faces is that we are all getting wet bums sitting in the grass. It wasn't soggy-puddles wet, but it's the kind of wetness that you don't notice till you stand up. We all looked like we'd peed our pants! We dried off soon enough and continued on to the Joseph Smith Farm. More tomorrow!
So sorry that I've let this tradition fall silent for a while. It just occurred to me that I hadn't posted and that I could do something Sunday-ish. (it is so a word) I was reading through some old Ensigns and stumbled across this article about charity. And this poem was at the beginning.
Six humans trapped by happenstance … in bleak and bitter cold. Each one possessed a stick of wood, or so the story’s told. Their dying fire in need of logs, the first man held his back, For of the faces round the fire, he noticed one was black.
The next man looking cross the way, saw one not of his church, And couldn’t bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch. The third one sat in tattered clothes; he gave his coat a hitch. Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store, And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor. The black man’s face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from his sight. For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white.
The last man of this forlorn group did naught except for gain, Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game. Their logs held tight in death’s still hand was proof of human sin, They didn’t die from the cold without. They died from the cold within.
Tomorrow begins the 179th Semi-Annual General Conference. It can be viewed or listened to online here. I'm so grateful for the technology that we have access to in this day and age. It's amazing that I can be in Egypt and still be privy to words of guidance and wisdom. I just love this clip. There are many more like it on YouTube here. Enjoy.
On Saturday, the Relief Society ladies had a birthday bash on a felucca. It was the 167th celebration of the organization of said group. It was formed on March 17th, 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois. Initially, the original intent was to assist & organize support, supplies & relief for the workers on the Nauvoo Temple. The Relief Society was officially formed soon after the implementation of these efforts. There were 18 women at it's inception and it has now grown into a worldwide organization of over 5.6 million women. I feel very blessed to belong to such an organization. Each baby I've had, there they are with a meal and a hug. It was the most unique celebration we've ever had. I'm sure our felucca captain was more than entertained by our singing and copious emotion sharing. He really enjoyed the sandwiches and strawberries we shared with him!
This week's quote is an excerpt from a talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard. The article is about the importance of mothers. I love how he gives such a glowing review and supportive words about being a mother in this day and age. I encourage you to read the whole article; warm fuzzies all around.
“I surely know that there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.“There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be ‘full-time moms,’ at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.”
I do not know what is wrong with me! Everything makes me cry, lately. Someone says, 'See you later,' and I tear up. How many more times will we say that to each other? We watched Baby Mama yesterday, I cried. We sold our television. I cried. We bought bath gel and debated about the size of the bottle because we don't want to have a huge bottle of soap to leave behind. Yeah, I cried. I figured that since I'm on the crying theme, I would share a song that just gets me every time I listen to it. I have this on my iPod, but I have to be careful when I put my songs on shuffle. I was driving down Road 83 and this song pops us and suddenly, my eyes well up and I have to quickly change the song so that I don't crash the car! It doesn't make me sad, it just touches a special place in my heart. I think it's also because I have three little girls. The song is called, "What Heaven Sees in You" by Mindy Gledhill. Some "inspirational" music doesn't do it for me, but this song is special. I thought about just posting the lyrics, but then again, we are all about having a "complete experience". The song describes three events in a young girl's life; blessing, baptism and temple marriage. A white dress for each event. Eliza has already experienced 2 of the 3 and I don't even want to think about how fast her marriage will sneak up on us. Denial, that's how I make it through life!
I couldn't actually come up with enough fully formed ideas to make one complete blog post. Since I'm drowning in projects and annoyed up to my eyeballs, I'll group them all together in one place.
--> I'm turning against my own kind. Although I'd rather not be counted among other MMB's (mormon mommy bloggers) some think that I should just "Semper Fi" . I can't stand the stupid pseudonyms ('Mr. Choopy-woopy & I watched offspring #7 feed #3 a pop tart. Yummers.' Gag me. What are they, the Borg?) acronyms (although, can't blame 'em for that. it's programmed in every LDS's DNA) bad grammar & spelling, over-sized fonts and brightly colored texts make me want to vomit. I'm no nit-picker and I'm not out looking for a fight, I'm just annoyed. I will use the occasional slang word or abbreviation, but come on people, make some coherent conversation. These are smart, intelligent (I think) women that can do better than pander to a stereotype. Yes, I do read NieNie. That's different. We both have some common grounds (barely out of our 20's, 4 children, religion) and, you know, I just feel for her. I'm usually able to overlook most of my pet peeves. 'Nuff said.
--> Grant's new favorite expression. ". . . put off my shoes." Well, you put on your shoes, the logical response would be to "put off my shoes." "Mommy, I need help to put off my shoes." I've made it over the initial lost-in-translation barrier and it makes sense now.
-->Turn right to go left. This is rule number one for driving in Egypt. If there is a left hand turning coming up, go around all the people to the right and cut right in where it convenient for you. I think watching the movie, "Cars" is a prerequisite to receiving your driver's license in Egypt. Following Doc Hudson's advice of turn right to go left!
A snapshot from South Dakota
Visiting upstate New York was an adventure for all of us. It was (surprisingly) a state I hadn't been to yet. (outside of LaGuardia and JFK) Driving to Palmyra, we were set on taking it all in. My form of "absorbing" is taking pictures. Way too many pictures, in some people's opinions. Not mine. There can never be too many pictures. ;) We set out for the Joseph Smith Farm first and stumbled upon the Palmyra Temple first. It was on the list of places to visit, we just didn't expect to find it without looking. Really, everything we were going to see was like going to the monuments in D.C. It's all right there, within a few miles of each other. Although, back then, the mode of transportation was either on foot or horse, soooo. Anyway, here is the fam on the lawn by the temple. I love tripods. What doesn't show on our faces is that we are all getting wet bums sitting in the grass. It wasn't soggy-puddles wet, but it's the kind of wetness that you don't notice till you stand up. We all looked like we'd peed our pants! We dried off soon enough and continued on to the Joseph Smith Farm. More tomorrow!
