This is not my talent! It's been almost two months since I last wrote. Thoughts on my mind today revolve around forgiveness. There are so many posts on Facebook and Pinterest about forgiveness as we start a new year. I believe that forgiveness is essential. My actions regarding forgiveness may look different than others but it is still there. The last two years have been inundated with circumstances where I had to find forgiveness for people. "Let go and Let God" have been a mainstay in my life. It's a shame that people continue to take advantage of others. Forgiveness does not mean you don't stand up for yourself. It's ok to stand up for yourself! Recently I saw a clip of a video of Madea and it was perfect! I'm trying to copy a link from YouTube: "> The character Madea expresses exactly what I feel and it took a long time for me to learn it. Some have questioned me as to why some people are no longer in my life. It's not because I haven't forgiven those people. It's because I love myself. It has taken a long time to get here but I am important too! I don't need anyone in my life that chooses to take advantage of me repeatedly - this is toxic. I have been to counseling and have been working on myself. I choose my personal boundaries. It's important to remember that forgiveness is critical for peace; however, you do not have to continually put yourself at risk with the person in the forgiveness. If the relationship is toxic, remove the relationship. Find forgiveness to move forward emotionally but you don't have to continually put yourself at risk. Continually at risk means that the toxic behavior has happened more than once; It is a behavior pattern and not a mistake when it occurs repeatedly. I have distanced myself from several people in my life that were leaves or branches and I thought they would have been roots. I found out the hard way that they are toxic to me. Just because someone has been a friend for years or is a family member does not mean they are automatically a root. It is important to know the difference; they can be leaves or branches. I am valuable. I deserve peace. I am important. I choose to forgive. I choose what is best for me.

I logged back in to this blog back in September because I felt like I was supposed to start keeping the blog again. I don't know why. This is not something I am good at doing. I have had a few people roaming through my mind influencing my decision to write the blog. I don't know the details of what a friend from high school is going through, but I know that her publicly writing about how she was making it through her struggle has helped me get through my struggles. She may never know how much she has helped me but Shannon has brought me peace on some very trying days. My cousin Sue has told me to "keep writing" and yet I didn't. This is a personal challenge for me to write and make it public. So, challenges are for learning. Let the learning begin. What would be wonderful is if I could just hire someone to write down my thoughts and experiences so it sounds much more exciting than my life really is. If I could choose someone that I know to write my life's story, I would hire Tracey Zalit Davidson. I love how she writes! Here goes nothing! Anyone taking odds on when the next installment will occur?

Grateful just seems like an inadequate word sometimes

To say that I am grateful to be alive really seems like an inadequate statement. Maybe an immeasurable sense of gratitude for the life that I am blessed to have. I start each day by thanking my Heavenly Father for each day that he gives me. I have done that since my heart collapsed over 6 years ago. I have always appreciated how precious life can be. During the past six months I have literally come close to death on two occasions. Many of you know that I broke my leg in January 2012. It was a pretty decent break. I now have three screws, a plate and a broken drill bit in my right leg. I fell at the top of my driveway as I was getting ready to bring Ana to seminary. I don't remember tripping on anything, I wasn't running and I was dressed for the weather. All I remember is my feet going out from underneath me and hearing a pop sound. When I looked at my leg I could see that my foot was dangling about 90 degrees to the right of where it should be. Not good. Jeff brought me to the hospital where it was determined that I had dislocated my foot and broke my leg in three places (a tib/fib fracture) not to mention the now torn ligaments as well. I was in a great deal of pain and I was a baby. I asked the nurse if I could have some form of pain med before they tried to take my boot off, it was THAT bad. They did and was able to save my snow boots. They thought of cutting them off but I had asked for them to take them off as I had just got them as a Christmas gift. Once they got the boot off they determined that they would need to reset my foot before they could get further x-rays for the surgeon. They had to sedate me to reset my foot. When I awoke the nurse said it was good to see me as "we almost lost you". Nice. I had told Jeff to go to the training which we were hosting and to leave me at the hospital. I figured I could handle a broken leg given all of the many much more serious surgeries I have had. I had a friend there with me. I called her to meet us there because Jeff would not leave me there alone. Ann Woods is as close to an angel as you can get here on Earth. Who knew that a broken leg could become life or death? I have to remember this in the future as my body doesn't do anything simple any more. I know my health is challenging to say the least. I am grateful for some of those challenges because it has help provide an understanding and appreciation for my life - as crazy as it is sometimes. Last month we were moving and things were going well and on-time. Everyone was working at a good pace and things were falling into place. I had just gone to the new house with a group of people to help unload the truck. After unloading, I took my dad and some kids with me to pick up pizzas for everyone for lunch. Five minutes or so after leaving the house I started getting itchy and then broke out in hives. I continued driving to pick up the pizza. I took a couple of children's Benadryl as that is all I had in the car with me. It didn't work. Thankfully my dad was there and he was able to drive home. The hives and itching got worse. My throat and face began to swell. To say that I was itchy is an understatement. I described it to my dad as 5000 fire ants crawling through my body from the inside out. YUCK! I called home and asked for someone to find the medicine bag where I had packed my meds and to have the grown-up Benadryl ready when I got there. When I got home, I managed to make it from the car to half-way down the driveway before I had to sit down. I told Jeff what was going on. I managed to get some more Benadryl down but by that point I was not feeling very well at all. I passed out and then had a seizure of sorts. Thankfully Jeff and my sister-in-law were there. Tis is a surgical tech. If you have to have a seizure it is good to have people with some form of medical training. Apparently they lost me. I had no pulse and was not breathing. From what I am told, Jeff had to give chest compressions to bring me back. I woke up with someone's fingers in my mouth as they were trying to uncurl my tongue which had curled up and was blocking my airway. (this is where the draft ends) Looks like I wrote this on August 6, 2012 and never posted it. I opened this blog address and saw it as a draft. I am still very grateful to be alive in this crazy world (09/05/2016). The "seizure of sorts" was found later to be an allergic reaction to peanuts. I have ate peanuts, almonds, walnuts, etc all my life. On that day I became officially allergic to them. Life can change in an instant! That was the first time I ever had a ride in an ambulance. By the time the ambulance showed up, Jeff and Tis had revived me and brought my reaction under control. I am blessed

inspiration

I have been blessed to be inspired in so many different ways over the past month. It started when I had the opportunity to attend the YW Broadcast with Ana & Keli. The talk which stood out in my mind the most was by President Monson. He was speaking to the YW of the church and was discussing the YW worth and possible bad decisions. At one point he told the girls that each one is a Cinderella and everyone has their "midnight". The blessing that comes from that is that everyone has a brand new day, a day where they can start over. If mistakes have been made that we can start the next day to do better. The very next day I gave a lesson in Relief Society on Covenants. I brought up the reference to Cinderella during the lesson. Sometimes, we all make mistakes but we each have a brand new day to be better. At the lesson it mentioned that the best compliment would be to be a "covenant keeper". I know that I am personally grateful for the repentance process and the plan which allows us to work harder to be "covenant keepers". The discussion that developed during the lesson was interesting because we discussed complacency. What are we doing now to continue to be "covenant keepers"? There are some who do what they need to to be married in the temple and then never return to renew those covenants. Some think that when they have been through the Temple that their future is assured. That is not the case. It is just a step in achieving the ultimate Celestial goal. We need to continue to try and do our best and live our lives in a Christ like manner. I don't mean where people can see your actions, but what you do when no mortal person is watching. I think sometimes people forget that God is always watching. God knows the intent of our hearts. I am grateful that he knows the intent of my heart. I know that this lesson just reminded me that I can do more. More inspiration came through General Conference. I was particullary impressed with some of the two word messages which came through the apostles "Don't Delay" and "Stop It". Elder Jeffrey Holland was the president of BYU when I was going to school there. (BTW I loved the BYU experience!) I appreciated his message on those who have dabbled with inactivity or have been exposed to the gospel and have just not joined as of yet. His simple yet power statement of "Don't Delay" is engraved in my mind. I could not help but think of those family members that are returning to a life filled with the gospel and those who have turned away from the gospel. My heart aches for those who have turned away and is so grateful for those who are taking those steps to commit themselves to living their lives the way God would have them live. "Don't Delay" meant to me that we can't take any day for granted. There may not be a tomorrow for some and may not have the opportunity for repentance or action here on earth. Those who have had the opportunity to enjoy the fullness of the Gospel on earth and have then turned away or refuse to act when they know of the truthfullness will have to answer for those actions. I learned this lesson and am constantly reminded of it. I was inactive for almost two years when I was in my 20s. Not because I did not believe but because I was not strong enough to stand up for what is right. It is like President Monson said in the October 2011 conference we need to "dare to stand alone" and I didn't. That is a mistake I have had to apologize for and yet I recognize what I have learned through that experience. I found my strength and what is important in my life. I have not been perfect in my actions in my life but because I have learned I recognize that imperfection and can improve. I literally pray for God's help every day, to help me, to help my children, to help my extended family to live as God would have us live. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to try and that I am trying not to delay in my efforts. Another talk which touched me was one by President Uchdorf. What a poignant talk he gave. I have seen part of that talk sent through emails and facebook with the quote of "Stop It". Although I appreciate that particular message and pray that some take it to heart and realize that there is a reason this topic was being discussed; the message of forgiveness was more poignant for me. This is an area that I am constantly striving on improving in myself. To find forgiveness for others so that I don't do the actions which President Uchdorf was stating to stop. I know that there are some who may find joy in my personal sorrows of my life. I would hope that someday the people involved will realize that finding joy in someone's sorrow is not Christ like. I literally pray that some people will realize this, but for me to find forgiveness I have turned it over to God. Sometimes in life we literally have to "Let Go, Let God". There are somethings in life that I can not change; for these things I just pray that God helps those involved to learn the lesson here on Earth so they don't have to answer for it on their "judgement day". In that same respect we have to find forgiveness for ourselves. I found it striking when he mentioned forgiving ourselves. How many people worry about forgiveness for others and dismiss ourselves? I know some who emotionally beat themselves up for things that are long in the past, repented for, forgiven for and have made determined steps to rectify mistakes. I think it is the hardest thing to do. I truly believe our prophets receive revelation and their words through conference were inspired. I am grateful that the different conferences, broadcasts, lessons, etc are there to influence my life. I am grateful that I can recognize my steps to not delay by putting myself where I can be graced with the lessons, talks, etc. I am blessed with the knowledge that my Heavenly Father loves me enough to put all of these things in place to influence my life and touch my heart. I am a better person today because of the gospel in my life.

Jeff's 50th

I know, I know! Jeff's 50th birthday was in January but I am making an attempt at catching up. We held a surpise part for Jeff to celebrate this great day - the day the greatest man was brought to this earth to bless my life!!

Jeff and I went to dinner with some friends, my ruse to get him out of the house. While we were gone the kids decorated and friends arrived. I think this was the kids first surprise party. They didn't even let Jeff make it in the house.

This is the cake Keli made. It says "over the hill" with the Over being on the hill she placed on the cake. We also had a Costco cake to make sure there was enough for everyone. I just saw that I didn't post this. If I remember right I was looking for the other pictures and the video to post. I also couldn't figure out how to attach the video. Anyways, everyone had a very nice time. It was great to see Jeff smile and surrounded by people who enjoy being with him. I even saw his eyes watering when we sang happy birthday to him. I am so happy to have this wonderful man in my life.

Yesterday

The talk on all of the news channels and newspaper yesterday and today were of the Mega Millions drawing which was last night. The jackpot was for $640 million. HUGE amounts of money for the lucky person whose number was drawn. I was asked yesterday what I would do if I won the lottery. Well, I don't play the lottery. I did not buy a single ticket for yesterday's lottery. Why? I have no desire to have that much money. When I gave that as an answer, my friend looked at me in surprise and asked why. The reason is simple, money causes too many issues. It causes issues on where to put it all. I truly don't want a bunch of things. I have what I need in life. I don't enjoy shopping. I know of many charities I could contribute to, but then how much and to whom. Then there would be individuals who would think that I should give to them. I don't want to have anyone in my life who is only interested in me for money. My value, even if I were rich, does not lie in money. I want those in my life to be in my life because of who I am, not what money I have.

Yesterday a friend put a quote on Facebook which I agree with:

"Ghandi's 7 Dangers to Human Virtue

1. Wealth Without Work
2. Pleasure Without Conscience
3. Knowledge without Character
4. Business without Ethics
5. Science without Humanity
6. Religion without Sacrifice
7. Politics without Principle"

Notice what number 1 is? Isn't that the lottery?

"Life was never intended to consist of a glut of luxury, be an easy course, or filled only with success. There are those games which we lose, those races in which we finish last, and those promotions which never come. Such experiences provide an opportunity for us to show our determination and to rise above disappointment." President Thomas S Monson

I knopw that I have don't live in luxury, I have not had an easy course and I have had personal failures. I have lost games, lost in races and not received promotions in the past. I know that I have taken every advantage possible of the opportunities before me and I have been blessed. I may not have worldly riches but I feel I am a wealthy woman by all measures which are important to me.

I won't be playing the lottery. I can accept my meager worldly existance. I will continue to work hard and do my best to provide for necessities in life. Jeff and I recently received a card from one of our children. One of the things the child said was that they were glad that we set the example of hard work. Appreciation was given to that child as that card came at a time where we had great financial stresses. To know that the child had no financial gain to be received from Jeff and I, just the simple acceptance of what Jeff and I are working towards and who we are is priceless. The lottery winnings can never provide that.

Adjusting

We all had a few adjustments to make with the move but I think everyone is adjusting. There are new schools, new friends, and new activities. Here are a few:


going to school



Ronnie and his new friend Kade making shields out of cardboard boxes



Keli was on the volleyball team this year





Time at the beach and the bmx track with family

Ana is in the band of course and also the Coeur d'Alene Youth Orchestra. Ronnie was on Robotics team and made his team made first alternate (not bad for his first year). The kids are keeping busy. It makes it easier to enjoy a new area when you are able to be involved with activities and make new friends. Good job to Ana, Keli and Ronnie for going out and meeting new people and getting involved in activities. It can be hard but they are doing a good job. When I find the pics of the band and the robotics team I will post them. I don't know what I did with them.

Mom's Birthday

In September my mom celebrated her 65th birthday. We were lucky enough to have mom here with us on her birthday. We started the day at the Temple, where she was able to go with four of her grandchildren for the first time. We were able to get some family files done with mom there to see the kids do the work. I think that is an amazing way to spend any birthday.

While my parent's were here visiting, Jeff and I were able to go on a tour of Lake Coeur d'Alene by air and by boat. We had so much fun. Jeff sat right in the front seat of the plane to get as close to the pilot experience as he could. Dad was impressed with the plane because it was the same type of plane he had been on when in the Army in Germany.



We threw a surprise birthday party for my mom while she was here. She knew we were going to have a birthday dinner for her but what she didn't know is that my brother Jeff flew in from Utah and surprised her at the restaurant. Kate and her family came from Montana and Chris and Kevin called from Kansas and Rhode Island during dinner so they were a part of the evening as well.





We did so many things that week and were so glad to have so much family there to celebrate mom's special day! The events of the birthday weekend ended with a day at the lake and jet ski riding. So much fun!

The Move - yes I finally made a post

Here is hoping that I will do better at this blog in 2012. I just haven’t been able to find the time when I’ve had the desire to write. Isn’t it the case you can think of things you want to say when you don’t have the time to actually put it down in writing but when you have the time to write there is absolutely no desire to write. This is my challenge, one I will try to overcome. I tried to write in November. I went to log on and couldn’t remember the password, 1st clue that it has been too long since the last post. I went through the steps to retrieve the password. While waiting for the email with the password reset, I started to read others blogs (something else I had not done in many months). Needless to say I filled my writing time with reading. I don’t think it was a waste of time, it was fun to catch up on what I had missed but I did not reach my personal quest that day and now it is two months later.

A ton of changes have happened in my life during the past six months. Most importantly, we moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This area is BEAUTIFUL!! Some people think that this move was a bit rushed, it was not. Things had been happening in our lives to prepare us for this move. I have mentioned before that Jeff and I had been thinking of moving. We just decided it was time to pull the trigger and do it.

While Jeff was going to school for his Master’s degree, I wanted to move and find a better position somewhere where it would allow Jeff to quit his job and only concentrate on school. Some people may not understand this but it was hard watching my husband stay up until the wee hours of the morning doing homework only to get up after a few hours of sleep to go to work for 8-12 hours a day and then repeat day after day. I thought it would help relieve some of the stress and move him away from people who were not supportive and adding to his stress. I wanted to do everything I could to support my husband in his education. Well, my husband is so smart and amazing. I believe why I never found that “better” job back then was that Jeff needed to have those experiences so he could have his success amidst those challenges; to prove that he can do whatever he sets his mind to no matter what! To prove his intelligence to those who didn’t believe he was capable of much in his life. Jeff graduated Suma Cum Laude (aka top of his class) WOO HOO! That great accomplishment came amidst working full-time, providing and caring for a large family, fulfilling church duties and still making time for Saturday Night Date night with me. Oh Yeah, He’s the man! That initial desire to move was over two years ago.

As Jeff came to the end of his course work he began looking for employment which would use his pending degree and his work experience. He enjoyed where he was working; however, future growth with his position was limited and he wouldn’t be able to help as many people as he wanted. It looked as if we might be moving to Ketchikan, Alaska there for a while. We had even received the relocation package. This position did not happen, obviously. The person that Jeff would have been replacing decided to stay in the position. I had already started packing the house by the time that happened. Even though the position fell through, we knew that we would be moving. We had a large house and lots of stuff, that’s usually how it goes when you have as many kids as we do  We left the boxes packed and continued on the quest to find our new adventure. We could feel it was right around the corner. As things happen, as I have said in the past, we decided to open our own company. Jeff quit his job and we began Sundancer Solutions in October 2010. I still worked for Bannock County full-time and did Sundancer Solutions part-time.

This is the part that many people don’t know. In February 2011, Jeff and I received a prompting that I should quit my job. I fought that thought with every fiber of my being (not wise). It was the same week where I was told that I had been selected for “Employee of the Month” at work. Why would I leave a job where people cared for me and what I do? I love the people I worked with and I enjoyed going to work. I did struggle with trying to do “it all”. Work, kids, business, church, other activities, etc. When people would say “you have a plate full” I would say “I wouldn’t have it any other way, life would be boring without all of this”. I didn’t quit my job. My boss was awesome, Kristi Klauser. She had known since the Ketchikan position that I would be leaving some day. The other reason I didn’t quit is we were just about to start an upgrade which I had wanted since I started working with the county almost three years earlier. I pushed for the upgrade, how would that look to quit just at the start of it? To me I felt like I would be irresponsible if I did that. So I kept on working for Bannock County. How many of you know what happens when you dismiss a prompting?

The promptings continued. Jeff and I had a meeting with our Bishop regarding a church issue and the Bishop made a comment which coincided with what Jeff and I were trying to decide on; The growth of our business and whether I should leave my job. We had not told anyone about what we were thinking. To anyone who has as many kids as we do, have a start-up business and then thinking of giving up the steady government paycheck, that sounds crazy! But when someone else is receiving inspiration on your behalf to confirm what you are doing – you can’t ignore it. Jeff and I left the church that night and drove to a park to pray about it. The answer was confirmed and I gave my notice two days later. That happened to be my three year anniversary for working with the county. That was a fun, exciting, sad, scary, exhilarating and exhausting day. I had so many mixed emotions but I couldn’t stop smiling. It was sad to think of leaving the wonderful people I worked with but I get to exchange it with working with the most wonderful man I know.

I had a lot of support from those close to me. Some were so excited for the adventure, some sad to see me leave, some questioned if I really wanted to do this. One woman was so funny when she asked if I was sure about this. I told her “ yes, my husband and I work well together and things are good between us”. She explained, “exactly, things are good with your husband, don’t you want to keep it that way” Some people cant work with their spouse. I am lucky, I can. I had many people who said “I wish I could do the same thing”. I heard that the most actually. Some people actually spread rumors about Jeff and I and my leaving the county, stating that Jeff was making so much money and that was why I left. Nothing could be further from the truth, We did this knowing we had not replaced my income yet. We took this leap of faith to build our company and have the freedom to do what was needed to do that. The steady government paycheck was also a reason why I didn’t quit when we first started being prompted. It did not make sense, on paper, to reduce our income dramatically when we have so many kids. It did make sense, when we had that peace that everything would work out. It was truly a leap of faith.

Later in May, Jeff and I went to Coeur d’Alene to be at a conference. This would provide visibility for our company. The feelings that we had as we drove to Coeur d’Alene was amazing. We left that conference later that week knowing that this is where we were to be. We came back to CDA in June for a business/house hunting trip. We needed to know where it was that we would be able to build our business best. We knew that we needed to be closer to an airport for our company to succeed. Prior to the conference in CDA we had been considering the Salt Lake area. Salt Lake did not feel like the area for us. When we found the place which would work for us, we jumped on it and moved two weeks later. That is the part which people seem like we made this decision quickly. This move had actually been in the works for about two years because we needed to be prepared to make the move when the opportunity presented itself. We moved here by mid July because we had a training planned for July in CDA already and we didn’t want to make several trips back and forth to do the training and then go back to Chubbuck to pack just to go back to CDA. We felt it would be more efficient and cost-effective to make the move prior to the training and eliminate several costly trips back and forth.

I am glad to say that the business is steadily progressing. I love the people that I am meeting and working with at the Tribes. I truly believe in what Jeff is doing. For those who don’t know what our business does, Jeff is a Health Care Administrator Consultant and works with Native American Tribes to assist them with Medicare Like Rate repricing and Contract Health Management. He has literally taught tribes to realize greater than 10 MILLION dollars in health care cost savings over the last year. Those cost savings allow the Tribes to provide better and additional health care to Native Americans. My mother is part Native American and thus, so am I. However, If the Medicare Modernization act had been around when my mom was growing up, things would have been so different for her and her family. My mom had many health concerns and my grandfather would have to sell a cow, pig, horse, etc when my mom or grandmother would have to be in the hospital. My grandfather eventually lost his farm due to his health challenges/costs. That never would have happened had this process been in place. I don’t know how many people can say that they are willing to do whatever is needed to support their spouse in their occupation, I can. I gave up the best job I had ever had to do this full-time, and who knew but this is now the best job I have ever had. I fully believe in what our company does. It not only helps fellow Native Americans to have better health care, but the education my husband provides assists so many great CHS employees to succeed in their own positions. How cool is that!!?!

Some people have asked us if we miss our family, as only four of the children are here with us in CDA. I tell anyone who asks the honest truth. Yes, we miss all of them. But those members of our family who were in our life in Chubbuck are still in our lives here either by living with us or visiting us on college breaks, telephone, texting, email or skype. As I told Kire when we were leaving, “just look at it as you are going away to college, only we are the ones who are leaving for you to do that”. It has been a growth opportunity for all of us. I am so grateful that God answers prayers and places opportunities and events in our lives which help us prepare for even greater opportunities. I am so grateful that God is very patient with me and didn't let me miss out on this opportunity because I was hesitant.

Well that is it for now. As I adjust to my new work and life schedules I will try to make more time for this blog journal. I hope everyone has a wonderful new year filled with endless opportunities.

Catching up...

I was chastised by a friend lately because she didn't know what was going on because she hadn't seen me and I hadn't updated my blog. Life has been a bit of one of the most wonderful whirlwinds lately and it has not left me any time for the computer. So now I have some catching up to do.

First off I have to say that May brought me a few awakenings. It all started with Dalton's Senior prom. Dalton went to the prom with Tess, of course. They have been an item basically since middle school. They looked beautiful together. Why an awakening? Because it was that night that I realized that he really was graduating from high school this year. I knew he was, it just didn't sink in that he was until the prom came.



Then came Ronnie's end of year activities. He received the Presidential Award for his good grades at the end of year fifth grade assembly. Totally Awesome! But another awakening event because Ronnie had a graduation all of his own this year. My baby graduated from 5th grade and is now moving up to Middle school. Yep, no more kids in elementary school. A milestone for both Ronnie and I. Here is a picture of him and his friend Phoenix after graduation.



Ana has played at the last two graduations with our family since she started highschool herself. (Kire's and Dalton's) The next highschool graduation she will play at is her own as she is the next one to graduate in our crew. We have one child graduate each year for the past four years and now we have one year off until Ana graduates. Here is Ana in her band gown as she gets ready to play at Dalton's graduation.



Then came the biggest awakening...Dalton graduated high school. Dalton is the middle child in our blended family. There are literally four older than him and four younger. He is a good kid and has so much ahead of him. I am so proud of him for his accomplishment! Here is a pic of Dalton with Jeff.



Well that is it for now. I will catch up on more of the whirlwind later.

Have a great evening everyone!

Life Changes!

It was over a year ago when I was thinking, "I'm going to find a job in a different area and tell my husband to quit his job and focus on school". A noble quest I thought. There is a saying "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans". It's because He may not have the same plans for you. I was a bit down when things didn't go like I hoped back then, but things change. As of today I am still at the same job (which I love) and still in the same town (which is ok). The only thing that changed was that my husband was able to quit his job. I know, a scary thing in this economy. Not as scary, if you are a person of faith.

In October we started our own company - SUNDANCER SOLUTIONS. Being self-employed can be a challenge and Jeff has born the brunt of this. I think it may have been one of the best things for our family. The money may not be rolling in but it has been nice having Jeff at home more. I am glad that we didn't act on our personal wants and paid attention to what God has in store for us.

What made me think of this? Shannon put a post on Facebook which I loved!!

"Beautiful pictures are developed from negatives in a dark room, so if at any time you see darkness in your life; don't panic, because something more beautiful is being developed."

Something more beautiful is being developed in my life and I love the mystery of it.

Boyfriends past

The birthday of a 16 year old has kept bringing up the subject of dating. Ana has waited until 16 before she has dated; which is good. Unfortunately, it brought up the topic of what I did when I was a teenager. I also ran into an old boyfriend recently so it tied in with Ana’s stories and questions. Since this is my journal of sorts and history for my family, you all get to be a part of my teen years!

The first boy I remember holding hands with was Steve Seymour. I thought he was cute in Elementary School. We held hands while we were watching a movie in Mrs. McCarthy’s 4th grade class. I don’t remember the movie, only holding Steve’s hand. We weren’t boyfriend or girlfriend and there was never anything more.

My first official boyfriend, where he asked me to be his boyfriend was Rob Bernard. I was 12 years old and he was 11. It lasted a whole week. There were no dates, just phone calls and seeing each other at church. I still thought he was cute but at 12 years old there just isn’t any point to having a boyfriend. We remained friends and continued to see each other in church. I admitted to Ana the other day that Rob was my first kiss at 14. Rob said “I bet you wouldn’t know what to do if someone kissed you.” I of course had to prove him wrong; after all I was older than him. As a parent now, not the greatest thing to tell your kids “I did it on a dare”. It’s why I wish that kids would learn from their parent’s mistakes and not repeat them (my disclaimer!). We weren’t even boyfriend and girlfriend; I just thought he was cute and we were friends.

My first official date was with Kyle Lynch when I was 16. He was one of my best buds through high school. We went to the movies at the Showcase Cinemas. We did this a lot through high school. There was nothing romantic about it just truly good friends going out. He eventually started dating my best friend Faith; then we went on double dates or I was the third wheel.

I didn’t really have a steady boyfriend until I was a Junior in High School. I went to my Junior Prom with Mike Underdown and he asked me out after the prom. We dated for a couple of months. He was a cutie pie wrestler who lived in the Foster/Glauster area. A mother’s dream! My mom had nothing to worry about as far as teenagers getting into trouble. He lived 45 minutes away and we didn’t see each other often, it’s why it lasted only a few months. I dated a guy named Pat Mellow later that summer. My friend Traci Hendricks introduced us. She introduced me to a few guys over the years. I had crushes on a few people but they were just that crushes: Brian Weaver, Ted Perry, Ray Falconer and Jim Wendleshafer were ones from my school. They were nice guys and I don’t think they even knew I had crushes on them. Brian may know now as we are friends on Facebook. I never dated anyone from my school; I tried to date guys from church. Rob Bernard, Augie Lehman and Rene Barraza were guys I had crushes on from church activities. Yes, Rene and I met in high school when I was 16. We were dating other people at the time we met and our first date was my 21st birthday. I dated Rob off and on through high school, not as a steady boyfriend - just dating. I will have to admit that Rob was my first love. I don’t believe his feelings were quite the same at that time. His was the name I doodled on my books at school. I also doodled Bon Jovi and we all know that never happened! I did ask Rob to my Senior Prom because he went to another school.

When I was 18 I met Steve Ayer on a Youth Conference trip. That relationship got serious. I was planning on going to BYU and he wanted me to stay and go to UCONN so we could get married. I had a Patriarch tell me; “choose wisely whom you date” during the time I was trying to make the decision between UCONN and BYU. I chose BYU and Steve and I broke up. I am very grateful for answers to prayers and listening to them.

I dated several people during college. Darren Davis was OHHHH so cute. We were talking marriage as well. We even went looking at Suburbans (still one of my favorite cars). I think I was more in love with the idea of being married than in love with Darren. We never got married, I was only 19 at the time we dated. I also dated Julien Goulet when I was around 19 years old. Jules is a good man. He had dated one of my friends when we were in high school. He came to BYU to visit me and a relationship came from that. However, it never worked out. There are some people that you are friends with and you think it would make sense to have a relationship with. Sometimes, you realize that you are just better friends. That’s what Jules and I are; friends.

I moved to Boston when I was 20 to work there for a while. In the meantime I had set Rene and my sister up and they had dated. They didn’t date long and during that time Rene and I became better friends. He came to Boston to visit and our friendship developed into more. In fact, our first date was my 21st birthday. He picked me up from the Providence bus station and took me to my first over 21 club – Challengers in Warwick near the airport. I eventually moved back to RI and we started dating. We were married for 11 years and had five children together.

I didn’t date for over a year after the divorce. Larry Fronce was a Kansas Firefighter I went on several dates with. He took me to my first fishing tournament and I actually had a really great time. He also brought me to a fish hatchery which I had never been too as well. He was someone that helped me realize that I did want to marry again. I thought when I got divorced that I would be single forever; “who would want to take on a woman with five kids?” He helped me to realize that I was worth being with, even with five kids. During this time I was driving a van which was quickly approaching 200,000 miles. I was in contact with Rob during that time as well. I eventually went to Idaho with tax return in hand and purchased a van from Rob. Why go to Idaho from Kansas to buy a car? When you have a friend who works at a dealership, you buy a car from someone you know won’t rip you off and will make sure you’re not getting a lemon. On my drive back to Kansas from Idaho I kept getting the prompting that I needed to move to Idaho. I drove back to Idaho a month later with the kids in tow for spring break. I needed the kids to be a part of the decision. I gave them the choice of Salt Lake (where my brother lives) or Pocatello or Idaho Falls (I have friends in both towns). The kids chose Pocatello. So here we are.

I didn’t date much when I first got to Pocatello; however, that changed. I did date Rob for a bit when I moved here. Another of the men was Todd and we dated for a month or so, he helped me to find my love for motorcycles. The very first date we were doing wheelies down Alameda; I have to admit that I had my eyes closed once the front tire left the ground. The adrenaline rush was awesome! I met a few cowboys here in Idaho. I have to say the best one was the one I married. When I met Jeff we were working only a block away from each other. I was working for Rob at the time. Had it not been for Rob I am not sure I would have moved to Idaho when I did. Keli and I were talking about this last night and we found it funny that had it not been for my first love, I never would have met my very last and greatest love - my husband.

So there it is; the Reader’s Digest version of 20 years of my dating history. It may not be that exciting to anyone else but the men that I have dated have helped me to appreciate the great man that I found with my husband. Each one of those men has blessed my life and I am grateful to each one of them.




Steve Ayer at 18 years old.


Rene at about 20 years old. This is the suit he was wearing when I met him. I was also wearing a grey double breasted suit (with a skirt) the day we met at the Narragansett Ward. He was there with Lara Chilvers to watch General Conference.


This is Rob and I a week or so before he left for his mission to England. He was 19 so I was 20.


This is Jules and I. We were both around 19 years old.


Mike Underdown and I at my Junior Prom. I was 16 years old.


The greatest love of my life and the last boyfriend I will ever have - Jeff and I at our wedding in 2005!

She's 16!

I am wishing Ana the best of birthdays - Sweet 16!

Last week I asked Ana what she wanted for her birthday. She wasn't sure at the time. I told her that Jeff and I were thinking of something practical that she would use alot over the next few years. She said "Is Jeff getting me pepper spray?"



We weren't thinking of that but since she thought of it - we did!

I am so grateful to have this child in my life. I will have to say she is one of the most accepting, forgiving and loving kids I know. She is truly a great example to me. I love her spirit and her desire to do what is right. She is truly a blessing to this world!

I love you Ana!

A good lawyer in action

The many events of the past few weeks have left me reflecting on some of my goals. I mentioned a couple of months ago that I would like to become a lawyer. This past week I got to see a good lawyer in action and it reinforced my desire to not only be a lawyer but the type of lawyer. It also made me think more of the firm that I would like to establish. I have thought of this many times before but as I watched some things that happened to friends this week, it reaffirmed the need for the type of legal firm that I would like to establish. I know this is a very long term goal, but if you never write down your goals it will make it more difficult to achieve those goals. Maybe this will be the start of my "memo" like Tom Cruise wrote in Jerry McGuire.

So here it is, my dream legal office (as of today):

ATTORNEYS: Aside from my own future legal expertise, I would hope that my firm would have several attorneys like the one I witnessed this week. What made this one so special? He really worked! Any of you involved with the court system know what I am talking about. The attorney that I am referring to is a state attorney. He doesn't know who he is going to represent that particular day until he shows up to work that day. That would make any lawyer's job that much more difficult. All this attorney knows when he goes to work is that he is going to affect the lives of children each time he enters the court room. What a purpose in life! Some people have that as an outcome of their profession but don't necessarily take it seriously. Some just go to work and push through in hopes of getting back home that much sooner, not caring about their impact of their position. {Reminds me of the quote "There is more to life than just showing up, you need to be involved"} Then there are the few like this gentleman. He went to work this week and truly sought truth and justice. He spent the time to ask the questions necessary to establish to the courts the history and behaviors of his opponent. I don't know if this particular attorney felt this way, but I would hope that he felt personally involved in the lives of the people he was representing. My firm will practice family law which means I want my attorneys to be personally involved with their client's families. I don't mean like going to McDonald's or a family outing. I do; however, believe it is important for the attorneys to meet the children that they affect. Generally, family lawyers only meet with the parent that has hired them. I don't think that is as effective because you don't necessarily see the true picture of the family in that way. The attorney may rely on a case worker, mediator or teacher for their information regarding the children; however, that removes the personal tie. That personal tie can be motivating and also reaffirm things which may come out in court. That makes the attorney's ability to obtain positive results that much greater. The attorney I am speaking of had not met the children he represented; I do not know what motivated him to perform the way he did. I have my opinion that he truly believed in representing children and seeking justice-maybe he was thinking of his own children. I know that my children are a motivator for things I do.

FEES: I don't live in a fairyland. Money, unfortunately, has to be a factor in how I run my firm. I have literally told my husband that for me to reach my goal we will need to "make bank" with his goal (our company we started) so I can reach my next goal (another reason why it will take several years to reach this goal). I know that sounds a bit selfish but it is because I don't plan on being a high paid attorney. I don't expect to make more than what I am currently earning. That may not seem like much to some but I know for the area that I live; attorneys just out of law school literally make the same that I do now. Reality is I won't make much more as I am starting this goal late in life (ouch!). I hope to operate the firm with a sliding schedule based on the client's income if it is needed. That being said, I will not represent a lazy client. We all know the type I am talking about. There may be a sliding scale but there will also be requirements for community service for example if the low income is due to a disability or job search requirements done through the firm (not like unemployment where they don't follow up and people sit around until the benefits are about to run out - oh, that is a different soap box). I will need to charge enough for the services we render. I know there are good organizations which use a sliding scale but they are generally funded by the states or local municipalities and are limited to services off erred due to state legalities. As a private firm, I will be able to have more options available for clients if not relying on public funds. That will help to serve the clients better. What does that mean? (See the next aspect of my firm)

BOUNTY HUNTER: I am sure I will have to name the position something different as the position will function slightly different but it is the basic concept. Many times in family law, there are orders initiated by the court which are hard to enforce because the opponent my not show for court. When that happens is a Body attachment or Failure to Appear warrant is issued. In cases of child support, the warrant is issued as a "No Bond" warrant and the only way the defendant can be released is by actually paying the owed child support. This is a good plan, when it works. The challenge with this is that Child support is a civil matter and our law enforcement agencies are busy with criminal matters. Thus, the cops don't usually seek out those with civil warrants. There are police officers who do, but they are few and far between; thus, the need for the "bounty hunter". Generally bounty hunters seek out those offenders who have committed a crime and have skipped out on their bail/bond. The people who hold the bond hire bounty hunters to go seek out the criminal (who is usually in hiding) and turn them in to the police. When the criminal is presented before court then the bail bondsman/woman can receive their bail amount back. The bondsman pays the bounty hunters a certain percentage of the bond as payment for their services. Do you see the challenge? With child support there is no bond, a bounty hunter is not going to work for a percentage of nothing. My hope is that I will be able to find an employee who will want to act like a bounty hunter but have the security of a regular paycheck. Non-supporting parents aren't usually hiding because they know the police aren't searching for them. The custodial parent usually knows exactly where the non-supporting parent is, less challenge for the bounty hunter. How much more success would the state child support enforcement agencies see if they had a bounty hunter on staff? I love this idea.

SOCIAL WORKER/COUNSELOR: Not something you typically see at a law firm; however, mine will not be the typical law firm. It may be that the counselor is not part of the actual firm but may be contracted with the firm to meet certain requirements. In family law there are a lot of issues which require a counselor; adoption, child support, visitation, custody, wills, etc. I know not many people think of that but it if a counselor was involved from the beginning then the time in court would actually decrease and there would be more success for the families (not just legal but personal). There is no way that a divorce will ever be easy for a child; however, there are things that can be done to make it easier for the child. The same things that will make it easier on a child will make it easier to represent the family. What does that mean? Unfortunately, there are parents who seek revenge during a divorce. The revenge evolves to manipulation of people/children to obtain revenge. That is not productive; in fact it is actually a form of child abuse. If the attorneys and client also worked with the counselor they would find the balance of getting on with one's life and seeking honest legal outcomes. Well how does this affect the children? Once a parent starts focusing on revenge then what is best for the children is no longer the focus. There are also adjustments on daily life where a counselor can help the client find a new balance. Once there is a balance then there is a realistic view of what needs to be obtained through custody, child support, division of property, etc. With the case of adoption, sometimes there is the need to find the balance in going from the struggle of having a child to actually having a child. I don’t want to have the type of firm that is only looking at the amount of money they can earn from a client. I want to have the type of firm that will actually look to serve the client well. A lot of attorney’s stop serving the client when the funds disappear and don’t care about the impact on the family. An attorney’s role has a huge impact on a family and working with a counselor will help find all that is needed for the family to succeed; again, not just financially. It would be nice if it would be a requirement to see the counselor for certain legal procedures but if a person isn’t open to it then there would be no success. But then again, if they aren’t open to it then they aren’t the client I would want to represent anyways; something to think about.

CLIENTS: I know this should be a no brainer but I would not want to represent “just anyone”. I only want to represent those who truly seek what is good, honest and legal. You would think that any lawyer would seek that – they don’t. Having a law firm is a business and some attorneys only look at it that way – “How can I make the most money?” They will represent anyone to the sacrifice of values and morals. Some parents will hide their income or work “under the table” to have support calculated so they receive a greater amount of support or pay a lesser amount of support. This is fraud (aka stealing). Sometimes a lawyer will even encourage this because the longer the court battle and the more money the client receives means the more money in the lawyer’s pocket. The same type of parent I just mentioned is the same type of parent may claim poverty to their children and anyone who will listen (so they appear the victim) but seem to manage a way to afford the most expensive attorneys if there is a shot of getting more money from their ex. If a potential client were to come to me and say he/she “owes me for putting up with them so long, they need to pay more…” that would be the first clue that is not the type of person I want to represent. In fact, that is a defining statement of why the person is going through a divorce. Marriage is a partnership of two people working together in love. No one owes anyone anything if there is true love. I do not want to represent a person who is seeking revenge. I want to represent the type of person who is looking at moving on with their life, doing what is right and true by their children, doing what is right and true by their community and themselves. I want to represent the type of person who is truly trying to be fair and honest to everyone involved. That is the same type of client who will be a good customer for the law firm. That same type of person will treat their attorneys with respect as well. My firm will be the type of firm that will have a lot to offer the client, if in turn that client has a lot to offer to themselves, their family and community. The client has just as much responsibility in how a case turns out as the attorney does. That concept resembles the saying “garbage in, garbage out”.

This has been a bit long and is only a glimpse of what I want to accomplish, but it’s a start. I was talking to a friend last night who owes greater than $20,000 for attorneys and wants some good luck to come her way. At one point during the discussion I told her; “that is why I want to be an attorney, to create luck for people like you and I”. I will be honest; I have some very personal motivators for wanting to become an attorney. I don’t have the financial resources to spend $20,000 for attorneys right now. I am grateful for a belief and the knowledge that my God is a just God. Those who are being fraudulent and doing things to affect generations of my family will have to account to their God some day for their actions. Right now, I will just have to find peace in that and “Let Go and Let God”. That doesn’t mean I have to like the things that are going on. In fact, I can even pursue ways to make things better and help others. Right now, I believe that if I can reach this goal I can help so many more people to overcome some of the same legal challenges that I have. Divorce may be hard; but a family can succeed even through divorce. Adoption can be hard; but a family can be created through that struggle. I enjoy my current job because I work with people and laws. When I become a lawyer I will be able to continue working with people and the law but I will be able to be a part of creating families and helping families get through difficult times. I believe that will be so much more rewarding.

I have got a lot of work to do…

Last Day

Tomorrow is the last day that I get to have this view from my car.

I was selected to be "Employee of the Month" for March 2011. It totally blew me away. They told me in February that I was selected for March. Interestingly enough, literally the week before they told me this I was seriously questioning my career path. I had just finished W2s and was finishing quarterlies and was sooooo frustrated with trying to resolve some errors I found. I was just tired of dealing with taxes and state and federal filings. I also joked at the time that it was nice that they selected me when they did because I was sure no one would want me as employee of the month after March-due to the changes I was about to help initiate with everyone's timecards.

March began an upgrade to an electronic timekeeping system. The county has been using paper timecards forever! This has not been an easy tranisition for some. Right now we are in the process of transmitting our first payroll with the new timecards and it seems to be going well so far. I think the reluctant employees are coming around and for those who aren't - oh well. There are certain things you have to do for a paycheck, that includes getting your timecard in.

Becoming employee of the month allowed me to park in literally the best parking spot at the courthouse. It is right next to one of the entrances. This was so awesome because I am forever running late. Keedrin and I did alot of trainings with departments in March so this parking spot came in handy as we had to go to the off-site departments. We never had to worry about where to park when we returned to the court house. I also received a gift certificate to Mama Inez and a free bag of popcorn. There is a popcorn fundraiser every Friday after pay day and that is where I got the free bag. Totally awesome since I lOOOOVVVVVEEEEE popcorn! The only downside to this was writing a blurb about me for the employee newsletter. I would think it would be easier after starting this blog, it wasn't.

Anyways, Goodbye oh great parking space. I have loved having the sweetest spot at the courthouse!

March Birthdays

Do you ever wonder about weird coincidences in life? Maybe it is the wee hours of the morning affecting my thought, but here are some of the coincincidences that I have just realized.

Later in life, my grandfather (Grandpa Kenyon) was blessed to have fallen in love with and married my grandmother (single mom of two boys). In doing so, he became the grandfather to 8 children. Coincidence: Later in life, I was blessed to have fallen in love with and married my husband (single father of 4 children). In doing so, I have become the grandmother to one (for the moment, I am certain that number will grow). Why the coincidence? It is only through these marriages that my grandfather and I became step-parents and later on to grandparents.

So what is the connection with the March birthdays? One of my grandfather's grandchildren has a birthday on March 24th - my cousin Laurie. Coincidence: my granddaughter's birthday is also March 24th. Hmmm.

Another coincidence: My granddaughter's name is Hannah and my grandfather's mom name is also Hannah.

Stupid coincidence: I spent Wednesday, the 23rd thinking it was Hannah's and Laurie's birthday. I was wrong on both. I know it is the wee hours of the morning and I should stop trying to think.



These are my cousins: Laurie, Sue and Sandi (left to Right). Laurie's birthday is today but I can't forget that Sandi's was the 15th.


This is Hannah and I on Christmas Eve 2010.

I don't have a picutre of him on this computer, but my brother Chris also had a birthday on St Patrick's day. Don't want to leave him out. The only coincidence I can think about with my brother is that we both have the same parents, not an odd coincidence.

The one thing that ties all of these birthdays and relationships together is that they all came about....

Because two people fell in love!

Opportunities for Service

My husband is in the High Priest Group leadership at church. Jeff received this calling a little over a year ago. Before he took the calling he asked me if it was ok with me. I of course, said yes. He was surprised I said yes so quickly and told me that it would take more of his time than he was doing as a Sunday School teacher. I still said yes. I couldn't see any negatives. Jeff finally had more time to give to callings and other areas of his life because he was no longer in car sales (a 50-60 hour a week job).

Last Sunday I was blessed to be a part of Jeff's calling. Jeff was assigned to take care of Sacrament meeting at the Veteran's Home. I didn't even know this was a need in our community. Well, Jeff forgot about the assignment until he saw a note on Sunday morning. Jeff needed to have priesthood members present to help with the sacrament, a talk, music and an opening and closing prayer. Jeff figured he would give the talk. This would have been an issue for me but for Jeff it was a piece of cake. Keli gave the opening prayer, Ana directed the music, I gave the closing prayer and Jeff was able to get some friends to play the piano and help with the sacrament. It was a very nice meeting. The Sacrament meetings at the VA home are only half an hour long but what a spirit you can have in such a short amount of time. Ronnie came as well. He didn't want to come at first but I told him that he needed to come. He was pleasantly surprised. As we were leaving he asked if we could walk slowly so he could look at all of the military posters and displays as we walked out.

In the main hall as you walk in the building there are posters with a picture of one of the residents and a story about their military service. They were very interesting to read. I thought, any one of these people could have served with my grandfathers. The beauty of this country is that it is a melting pot of people from all areas of the world. The beauty of the military is that it is also a melting pot of citizens from all over the country serving all over the world. Any one of these people could have served with my father or my uncle or my aunt. As you read these stories you are reminded that those people that are serving our country, fighting for freedoms and protecting us are just regular people like you and I.

I am grateful for Jeff's assignment to serve at the VA home. It may have started as an assignment but it was truly a blessing. It provided me with a way to help provide service for a need I never knew existed. What a simple way to help serve those who served for so many years. I am grateful for my family instilling in me a belief in our military and our country. I am grateful for a husband who is willing to serve and to provide those same opportunities to his family.

I am truly blessed.

Blogs I follow

There are a several blogs that I like to check out a couple times a week. Some are just friends and family, just to keep up with the lives of people I care about but don't have the opportunity to see very often. I recently added a girl I went to high school to my list of blogs to peruse. Lynne and I were in Chorus all through high school and middle school together and several other school groups/clubs along the way. I always knew her as being very intelligent and she had a beautiful voice. The blog has helped me get to know her more through her writing and her baking. Her blog is 365 Days of Baking. I have really enjoyed seeing the things she cooks and she lists the recipes with them so I can give it a whirl myself. I haven't yet but there are a few that she has posted that are on my list to try. Another one I like to check out is done by my step-daughter Amanda, her mom and their friends. They have some cute crafts and recipes as well. Her blog is The Paisley Cupcake. (You can click on the name of the links and it will bring you to their blogs)

I don't have a lot of time for crafts but I enjoy it when I can. Last night I had the opportunity to drag out my crafty side while at Young Women's. We made journals using composition notebooks and scraps of fabric. Ana couldn't go to Young Women's last night because she was playing in the Pep Band at last night's district basketball game. So, I made the journal for her because she writes in her journals faithfully and couldn't be there to make one for herself. Here is a picture of the creation!




Ana loved the journal! It was covered in fabric that was all music and embellished with decorations in Highland colors (black and red). I even made the coiled fabric flower. I made the black and white polka dot ribbon go around the book and Velcro in the front. I also added a black ribbon book mark which is also attached to the cover.

Thanks to all of you who help stir-up my creative side and inspire me to want to do more.

Ronnie's week of Mayhem

Normally, Ronnie’s life is pretty low key. He is a very sweet, loveable little guy who likes to spend his time with the KNEX, Legos or whatever other item he has found to build with, Discovery Channel and History channel. One important thing to know about Ronnie at this time of year is that he loves snowboarding. Which brings me to the first bit of mayhem in Ronnie’s week: Ronnie earned a yellow ticket from school for throwing snowballs and getting into it with a friend of his. Why? He and his buddy had a disagreement of which was the better sport, snowboarding or skiing. This disagreement led to some chasing and snowball throwing-not good. A yellow ticket is a disciplinary action taken by the school. This led to my own disciplinary action for Ronnie, a grounding of sorts. He took it in stride and understood what he did was wrong. That was nice from the mom stand point.

The week had been going pretty well for him otherwise until Wednesday. Wednesday morning I get a call from Becky who lives near the kids school bus stop. She asked me if I could come by the house and get Ronnie. Why? Because it was the coldest day of the week (-6 degrees when she called) and my intelligent 10 year old decided to stick his tongue to the metal mailbox at the bus stop. I am still laughing as I write this. Becky said Ronnie was bleeding a fair amount. So I went to get Ronnie. By the time I got to the house the bleeding had stopped but the kids made sure to show me the blood on the front door step. Luckily, Becky’s daughter Emma had a water bottle in her backpack and they used that water to help Ronnie with his tongue at the bus stop. Thank You Emma! I drove Ronnie to school and he had a pretty good day. Not too much damage to his tongue, it looked like a few blood blisters on the side of his tongue. Needless to say there was a great deal of laughter Wednesday morning because of his experiment. I am anticipating yet another experiment with the tongue on frozen metal as he informed me as I drove him to school that he knew what he did wrong. “I forgot to spit on the mailbox first!” I am sure he will want to prove his theory some day. I am still laughing as I write this.

Later that same day I was driving to the High school to pick up Ana and Ronnie was with me. All of a sudden he tells me “if anyone wants to clone me they just have to go to the bus stop” I asked him why. Ronnie then told me that he left his DNA there, stuck to the mailbox (where his tongue was), the road, the bus stop. Etc. Amazing. I truly love how he thinks!
As this week comes to a close I wonder what mayhem still awaits us. One can’t help but love Ronnie!

Today I REALLY want to be an attorney!

It is days like today which reaffirm the decision I made to go to law school.
There are a few people who did not realize that I was even thinking of going to law school until my last blog. Anyone directly involved in my life understands the motivation.

There is a story of a man who is trapped in his home due to a flood. He makes it to the roof of his home to avoid the flood waters. He is sitting on his roof and prays to God to come save him. He is on the roof for some time and a boat comes by and offers to save him. He declines the assistance because he is waiting for God to come save him. Later, a helicopter comes by and offers to lift him to safety. He declines the assistance because he is waiting for God to come save him. The man eventually drowns to death. When he gets to Heaven he asks God why he didn’t come save him, he had led a good life and had prayed and prayed for God to save him. God responded, “Who do you think sent the boat and the helicopter?” Lesson learned: We never know what vehicle/tool/person that God is going to use to help answer our prayers. Why the story? I want to be the boat captain or the helicopter pilot which is used by God to help people.

Don’t think I am good or noble for wanting this. I am also quite human. Here is another story which illustrates what I feel as well.

There is a professor teaching a college course in front of hundreds of students in an assembly hall. He teaches this many students in the same fashion every semester and has for years. The professor takes the opportunity every semester in front of all these students to prove to them that there is no God. He tells the class that there is no God and if there was a God he would come and strike him down for proclaiming there is no God. The professor stands and waits and nothing happens. He is not struck down so he tells the class, “My point is proven. There is no God. He has not struck me down.” The classes he has done to have all been silent when the professor does this. Time and time again, people quietly question the existence of God because of this professor’s object lesson. More years pass and this professor is still teaching. It is the start of a new semester and he begins the class the way he normally does and denounces the presence of God. He proclaims “If there is a God, strike me down where I stand!” The class sits in silence. A young serviceman jumps from his seat in the class and goes to the podium and strikes the professor down. The Professor asks, “Why did you do that?” The young soldier responded, “God was busy so I took care of it for him.”

There are those who claim to believe in God and are Christian and yet do some rotten things to some people that I love dearly and to others that I know/ know of. I not only want to be the driver of the boat or pilot of the helicopter who helps save people; I also want to be the serviceman who God uses to knock someone on their butt. I won’t ever do it physically, but I can sure learn what is needed to become a lawyer and accomplish the same affect legally. Sometimes people need to be knocked on their butt (figuratively/legally) to be able to save someone else (literally).

I think that if I have to go into debt (for attorneys) to affect some of the things happening in my life, I might as well go into debt for an education to become an attorney. This will not only help my own situation but I can help others as well.

Yep, today I REALLY want to be an attorney.