Thirty-One Years

Thirty-one years ago, August 2, 1978, I walked into the Salt Lake Temple at 8 a.m. and emerged an hour later as a married woman! It seems fitting that we will spend our anniversary this year surrounded by many of those I love most in the world, as our newest grandson is blessed. In honor of 31 years, here are 31 random facts about my sweetheart.

1. He has very nice eyebrows.
2. He was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in Chicago, and attended high school in New Jersey.
3. He served a mission in Argentina, returning home 1 year to the day before we became engaged.
4. His mission president instructed him to be engaged within a year. (See #3.)
5. My first memory of him was at a testimony meeting in our BYU single's ward when he introduced himself as being from Cranbury, NJ and (referring to the young man from Orange, TX who had just spoken) said that didn't mean they were "a couple of fruits."
6. My first "date" with him was a double date. I was with his roommate and he was with a girl he picked up in one of his classes. We went ice skating, played alligator in the park, ate at Jimba's, drove to Squaw Peak to see the city lights, and slid down ice-covered amphitheatre steps on our backsides at Aspen Grove. Neither of our dates did the sliding part--and we both made a note of that.
7. The first time he asked me out, I turned him down because I already had a date. I told him I hoped he'd ask me again, to which he responded: "I will if I ever feel like it."
8. He is scrupulously honest.
9. Apparently he felt like it the next day. He invited me to a Sunday evening fireside held in the Marriott Center. President Romney was speaking. I wore a long red calico skirt and a shirt with a flower appliqued on it. I still have the skirt. It was February 5, 1978.
10. We got engaged seven weeks later, March 25, 1978. (See #3&4)
11. He is usually scrupulously honest, unless it is for a good cause.
12. Like telling me that he knew the young men in the temple visitor's center when he didn't, so that he could have an excuse to greet them and ask them to leave.
13. And like telling me that the painting of Jesus teaching in the temple as a child was his favorite painting, so that he could get me to look away while he pulled a ring out of his pocket.
14. And like telling me that he slugged a protestor at the conference center and was going to be on the evening news, because he thought it would be funny.
15. And like telling me that he was in the delivery room when his bishop's wife had a baby because he thought it would be funny. And it wasn't.
16. We were married August 2 in the Salt Lake Temple.
17. Our first home was in southwest Provo. It had two bedrooms, a tiny patio, and an oven that always heated to 500 degrees. Always.
18. We have lived in eleven houses and four states: Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado
19. He graduated from BYU with a degree in Archaeology and minors in Spanish and Museum Studies.
20. His favorite place in the world is Hovenweep National Monument.
21. His favorite thing to do is LEARN! He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
22. He especially loves books.
23. And documentaries.
24. And weird movies. (His favorite movie is "The Village.")
25. His favorite color is blue and his favorite kind of food is Chinese food. His favorite kind of car is one that runs and is paid for.
26. His favorite gift is a Barnes and Noble gift certificate. He would also like tickets to a BYU football game.
27. He sings really well, even though he doesn't think so. He also dances better than he thinks. He does accents really well too. I especially like his Indian accent. (Indian as in India.) When we were first married he used to bounce around the apartment and sing the Tigger song from Winnie the Pooh.
28. And he's been known to chase the kids around the house with a squirt bottle and "introduce them to snow."
29. Within our family, he is best known for his knowledge of random facts (Jeopardy, anyone?), his embarrassing dad moments (riding the shopping cart in the parking lot), and his unforgettable quotable quotes. (see #5 & 7)
30. But what I most admire about him is his unwavering testimony, his uncompromising integrity, his calm in a crisis, his daily sacrifices, and his tenderness for those he loves.
31. We have been blessed with seven wonderful children, five equally wonderful sons and daughters in law, and eight (soon to be ten) perfect grandchildren.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Tigger!

On Stage!

Just a reminder to anyone who is looking for a fun, kid-friendly performance:

101 Dalmation Kids

will be playing

August 3, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15

beginning at 7:30 p.m.

(That's Monday, Friday and Saturday evenings!)

The theatre is located in the basement of the Springville library.

The show runs between 30-45 minutes, so even the small ones shouldn't get too restless! Cost is $6/person or $30/family (I think there's a lower rate for students and I don't know about the wee ones.)

Come and see Cruella De Ville and her evil henchmen as they try to steal all those adorable Dalmation puppies!

An Ethical Question

How many Tootsie Rolls do you need to have in a package of 355 pieces of candy, to be able to advertise Tootsie Rolls on the outside?

The answer, apparently, is three.

For Sweet Tarts, you only need two, in case you were wondering. And Smarties gets you a whopping five.

Guess what the remaining 345 pieces of candy are? Well, a rough estimate (I didn't actually count the rest) gives you approximately 335 pieces, divided equally between bubble gum, jaw breakers, and Now and Laters, with about 10 lollipops thrown in for good measure.

The reason for this rant? Our ward party tomorrow night. Last night, after delivering flyers all over the ward, we went to WalMart in search of face paint, water balloons and prizes. The prizes are for the wee ones who will be wading through a pool of little balls searching for treasures. And bubble gum and jaw breakers aren't going to cut it. It hasn't been that long since I was a mother of preschoolers.

We were tired last night. We looked too long at the huge number of candies and the small price tag, and we fell victim. We just weren't thinking. Today I'll be headed back to WalMart--with a keener eye. I will not be deceived twice!

To add to the irony of the situation, in our search we passed a giant container full of bubble gum and I paused. My husband took one look and said, "There's no way we're giving those kids bubble gum!" Then why'd we buy so much of it, dear?

Stress

It's an interesting thing. So for last Sunday I:

• taught primary
• did sharing time
• helped Andrew practice for his solo in Sacrament Meeting
• made posters and signups for our coming ward party
• prepared for Father's Day dinner, etc.
• and thought about how stress-free next week would be, when all I needed to do was get up, get ready and go to Stake Conference

Then--Andrew was asked to speak in Stake Conference!!!!!

What is more stressful than speaking yourself in Stake Conference? That's right. Turning an eleven year old loose at the pulpit in front of a couple of thousand people you admire and respect.

Next Stop Broadway!

Andrew just landed a part in the community children's theatre production, 101 Dalmations Kids. He is beyond excited to be playing the part of Horace, one of Cruella De Ville's henchmen. Performances will be the first two weeks of August--Monday, Friday and Saturday nights.

He's also been asked to sing a verse solo in Sacrament Meeting on Father's Day, during the primary's song. He's cool. I'd be terrified.

What a sweetheart!

Welcome to Our World!

His name is under final review, but this adorable little guy was born June 4 and weighed in at seven pounds nine ounces! He's definitely a keeper!

Not so impressed with his first bath, given by Dad!

Stuff

Grandchildren

I found crayons in my sugar cannister. It made me smile.

Growing Up

Tonight Andrew goes on his first scout campout. And, after today, he's officially a sixth grader. Which means that Jr. High is only one year away. A year and a summer. Becoming a deacon is less than ten months away. And today he put on a long-sleeved shirt for school, and lots of cologne. He said he wants the ladies to remember him.

Writing

So close. So close. A week ought to do it.

Books

Mostly, I love them. Afterall, nine months out of the year I help struggling readers learn how to read and try to convince them that books are their friends. I put myself to sleep every night reading a book. And my life-long dream is to have my name on a book cover or two. So it's not like I'm illiterate. I just like my books in some level of moderation--defined by their ability to fit in their allotted space. If you've been to our little house any time lately, you'll understand what I mean. Not only is there a 12 x 8 ft. wall dedicated to them, but there are no fewer than eight other bookcases scattered throughout the house. Half the storage space in the garage is filled with boxes labeled "books." Children's books, teen books, Christmas books, and mostly just overflow books. No room for the Christmas ornaments and out-of season clothes, because the storage space is filled with books.

And that is not all. Several months ago I swapped out the two shelf cookbook bookcase for a three shelf one. Now it's bulging, with cookbooks stacked on top-and growing. Cookbooks about cooking pasta, cooking Chinese, cooking with chocolate, seven hundred cookies made from one recipe, dinner on the table in five minutes or less, meals from scratch, meals from a can. Meals using twinkies. You name it, we have it. I must be a gourmet cook, right? Wrong. I think someone is hoping that the power of suggestion will make a difference.

But that is not all. My bedroom is stacked with more books, piled high in front of the window so that I can't reach to open the blinds. And the piles grow by day. Partly, I think, because my husband is trying to prevent me finding new homes for the homeless. If they're there, beside his bed, he can keep an eye on them. They're safe.

Nearly every day another box or two of books enters the house and takes up residence on the kitchen counter until I can find a new home for them. Yesterday was no different. Two boxes of books (and other miscellanea) came home. As my sweet husband showed me today's loot--the lighted nativity set, the Christmas trays, the interactive baseball, golf, and fishing calendars with little dice-like numbers to change the date each day (would someone really want to do that?) , the book about internet pornography, and the book entitled 365 Salutes to America--he gleefully pulled out the bottom book. Before I could tell him that we all ready had a copy, he said, "And the best thing is this. It's just like the one we have, so we can give it to one of our kids (and he named a couple). Or maybe (he gets that glazed look in his eyes) we should keep it so we can have one copy upstairs and one copy downstairs." NOOOOOOOOOOO!