Three Women, One Man, and a Baby

No, it's not a new show about an alternative family. It just describes my recent trip. I had the privilege of visiting some former BYU roommates, McArthur and Neves, in Washington, D.C. this past weekend. I took Bronwen with me on her first cross-country adventure, and we left the male folk at home to fend for themselves. Here are a few highlights of our trip:

• A short but great visit with Rebecca, my cousin, and her two little boys. I took about 15 pictures of her two year old, Brandon, and not a single one was any good. Bummer. So you won't get to see anything from that.
• Bronwen and I alone with McArthur's car, trying to get from Alexandria, where Rebecca lives, to Reagan National Airport, where I was supposed to pick up McArthur, and Dylan (Neves' hubby). Apparently, one of the security measures in the D.C. area is that you are never really sure where you are at any given moment, nor will you reach your intended destination on the first attempt, even if you are a local! (And I thought, being raised in LA, "I'm a city girl! How hard can it be?")
• A drive out to the northwestern part of Virginia. If it had not been raining and grey, this would have been absolutely breathtaking. It was rather lovely anyway, but I didn't get any photos of this either, much to my chagrin!
• A shopping to trip to "Gabe's", a discount store akin to TJMaxx, but on a much larger scale. I've been hearing about Gabe's and drooling over the deals acquired for 16 years now. Now I know what I've been missing.
  
• Dinner at a fabulous little tavern in Upperville, VA.
• A visit to D.C.'s Eastern Market on Saturday morning to check out the international flea market, farmer's and fresh food market, and to enjoy a maple pecan french toast breakfast. Yum. There were many booths to explore with jewelry from all over the world, photography, textiles, and architectural remnants. We would have lingered longer if it hadn't been frigid (the weather report had predicted sunny and 50 degrees. Not once did we see those kind of temperatures.)
• A free concert at the Kennedy Center on the Millenium Stage. In spite of it being a standing room only crowd, it was worth it to see the Kenyan children's choir and acrobats who performed there. Bronwen made some friends while crawling around the floor under Kennedy's head. This brother and sister duo were so adorable and so into her--they cried when their parents finally said it was time to go.
• Another great dinner, this time at an Indian restaurant on Capital Hill, near McArthur's home. Since everyone else at our table had been to India multiple times, they knew the best food to order and delighted me with everything I tasted.
  
• Here's a shot of our charming hostess, McArthur. She always was the photogenic one.
• I prepped Bronwen ahead of time that she needed to be on her best behavior, as these friends have not yet made the jump into parenthood, and I did not want to be responsible for scaring them away any further. At the end of the weekend, they pronounced her a "false advertising baby," skeptical that all babies could possibly be as easy as she. Nice work, Bronwen! Our plan worked perfectly!
• The most miraculous part of the trip was that we didn't have any delayed flights, missed flights, six hour stints on the tarmac without moving, lost baggage, or screaming on airplanes. Our flights were pretty uneventful, which is a huge improvement over the last time I paid these friends a visit with baby Henry back in 2002. That was a nightmare (not the part where we actually got to be together, shopping for Neves' wedding gown--just all the traveling parts.)
• I left wanting more. Not only more of my friends, whom I see too little of these days, but of D. C. I spent the flight home dreaming up ways that we could move our family there for six months and explore all the city has to offer, then wander up and down that coast. Washington D.C. is a homeschooler's paradise, with all of the free educational places available to visit. Maybe we'll be able to swing it someday, somehow!

Anyway, I'm home now, and busy with laundry, Tiger Academy, laundry, preparing for Thanksgiving next week, and more laundry. Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon.

I'm Still Here!

Thanks for being patient with me as I neglect my blog. The past week has been a whirlwind as we settled into our Tiger Academy. I am still figuring out how to make time for me to do the things that are important to me (including laundry, blogging, and reading.) We are having a great time learning together.
I've also been getting ready for a trip this weekend that I'm really looking forward to. I'll tell you all about it when I get back. In the meantime, here is something to keep you entertained and indoctrinated in the ways of organic food.



This was made a few years ago by Free Range Studios, a graphic design firm where one of my dear friends from BYU days, McArthur, is the VP. (Yes, I am obviously out to impress you with all of the cool people I know after my last post!)
Also, Tawny requested a low fat dessert recipe. Try this fabulous fancy chocolate souffle for only 152 calories on Cooking Light. Or, if you're in the mood for pumpkin, try this Pumpkin Carrot Cake recipe, also from Cooking Light. Sorry it has taken me so long, Tawny.

Obsessive With a Capital O

Yes, that's me. Not be confused with Obsessive Compulsive, which would be my husband and at least one of my kids. Ok, so no one has been diagnosed and we're all still functioning, but I think that you can safely say that there is some of that floating around in the genes at our house.
I think that I have always been this way. In my childhood, it mostly manifested by my obsession with books. Most of the photos taken of my during my grade school years involve a book in my hands. Kimball is like me in that way. He brings along a book to read in the car if we are going to be gone for 5 minutes.
In college, I began to jump from obsession to obsession (as I continue to do)--often there was a boy involved, sometimes one who didn't know I existed! (Those of you who knew me in college may remember Mr. Density--not a typo, a reference from Back To the Future--and other Library Lovers who kept me headed to the great and spacious building to study and hope they'd show up!) I also went on stints of food obsessions. I remember one time that Erin, Heidi, and I went to Tony Roma's in Provo for their Chicken Caesar Salad ten times in two weeks. It was ridiculous considering my college spending money budget (and I obviously had no idea how laden with fat Caesar salad is,) but it was a need that had to be filled if we wanted to sleep at night! Another time McArthur and I beat a regular path to Pizza Pipeline for their Cinnamon Twists. Yum (I think I need to plan a trip to Provo!)
Which brings me to my current obsession: Halloween costumes. My kids have been discussing Halloween costumes randomly since November 2nd of last year and I have been telling them that we don't get to really plan Halloween until school starts. Well wouldn't you know that over after-school snack on the first day of school, Kimball piped up to remind us all that Halloween is around the corner (I know, it's scary how much my kids are like me.) And now,for some reason, I am spending a ridiculous amount of time searching for the perfect Halloween costume for the baby. I'm not sure why the others' are not occupying so much of my brain as hers is. I promise it's not because she's my favorite. I don't even think it's because it can be something girl-y (trying to fool my filter with strange spellings). But for some reason, I want it to be perfect--perfectly adorable, perfectly reasonable for her to crawl and move around in, and perfectly priced. This is the one time of year when I really kick myself for not learning any of my mother's amazing sewing skills. I guess it is also the one time of year when I shop obsessively and then beg my mom to sew costumes for the kids.
Anyway, I thought I had found a costume that fit the bill. Here it is:
Now, this may not look that different from all of the other ladybug costumes out there to you, but it is by far the cutest one I've found. I was so excited to see that babystyle (where it is listed) was offering $2 shipping on costumes ordered in August, and I had every intention of buying the costume. But I am a procrastinator as well as an obsessor, so rather than buy it immediately, I chose to look at it again every day until August 31st, just to make sure it was still THE ONE. Who expects there to be any danger of a Halloween costume selling out in August, for goodness sake!?
Well, you guessed it, this one is gone. And babystyle has posted this comment:"We're sorry, but this cute costume is permanently sold out. We will not be receiving more before Halloween."
How could they?
When I discovered this I was horrified and began perusing costume websites all over the place to find another perfect costume. And nothing that is remotely in my price range is good enough. I have run across a designer of children's costumes that is amazing (but well outside of my price range.) Here are a few of my favorites (I'm including boy favorites too, since Bronwen's not getting a $60 costume no matter how cute she is):There are loads more. So cute. There are some on ebay, so I might be able to pick one up at a more reasonable price. But which one, and how much is reasonable? The scary thing is that I am thinking about this more that I am about what I'm going to make for dinner tonight (maybe Chicken Caesar Salad?) or world peace or family history or anything much more worthwhile. Oh well. Check out my poll in the sidebar--I think I'll poll my readers to find out which one is your favorite. Provided I like your answer and it's available on ebay, I can get it. Then maybe I'll be able to move on to a new obsession--how about laundry?

The Parable of the Candy Bar and Other Thoughts on Happiness

A friend and I were recently discussing our different views about life. He does not consider himself to be religious. His family and upbringing were not religious at all, although he was raised in a loving home and taught good values. I, on the other hand, was raised in a devoutly religious environment and have adhered to my faith for my entire life.

My friend sees some things that he likes about the lives of members of my church. Specifically, he admires the importance placed on families and on strengthening marriages and families. He is not interested in what he perceives as all the rules and restrictions that our faith places upon us.

In our most recent conversation on the subject, he expressed that since I had never had the kind of life that he does, free from such restrictions, I don't know what I'm missing. I, of course, responeded that he doesn't know what he's missing! He is content with his life and sees no need for more than what he has.

I have been thinking a lot about our discussion since, and came up with my own analogy to explain to him the difference as I see it. We'll call it the parable of the candy bar. Most of you will find this to work for you, although McArthur, Nicolette, and Erika (who don't like chocolate,) will have to adjust the analogy a bit!

It is possible to have a good life without the Gospel of Jesus Christ, particularly if you espouse principles in common with Christianity such as helping others, honesty, kindness, loyalty, etc. People all over the world can testify of that. I will liken these lives to the insides of a candy bar. In the Snickers bar pictured above, the nougat, nuts, and caramel might represent a very good life without the Gospel. But there is something missing; in the candy bar, that something is chocolate. Chocolate adds richness, greater flavor, depth, and dimension to the candy bar. It elevates the candy experience beyond that of nougat, nuts, and caramel alone.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the chocolate on the candy bar of my life. It enriches my life, it gives me an understanding of the purpose of life, it helps me to have perspective beyond the here and now, and gives me the opportunity to experience true, lasting happiness. This happiness is greater than that which can be attained without the Gospel because of the peace that comes through the atonement of Christ.

The "restrictions," or commandments, are given for our benefit and our happiness. If we keep the law of chastity, we can avoid the pain and anguish of out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and infidelity. In addition, our monogamous relationships within marriage are enhanced by the fact that intimacy is something that we share exclusively with our spouses. If we keep the Word of Wisdom (the law of health, which calls for us to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, drugs, coffee, and tea,) we can be free of addiction and can avoid being driven by the substances that would enslave us and compromise our judgment. If we pay tithing, we are blessed both temporally and spiritually, and we learn to be unselfish and less materialistic. I could go on, but the point is that the chocolate couldn't be without the commandments. The joy would not be complete without the blessings that come from obedience to God's will.

The scriptures are full of counsel to be happy and guidance for how this can be achieved:

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God." (Mos. 2:41)

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." (Prov. 29:18)

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." (John 13:17)

“[God] never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed, and which will not end in the greatest amount of good and glory to those who become the recipients of His law and ordinances. "--Joseph Smith, Jr. ( History of the Church, 5:135. )

"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God"--Joseph Smith, Jr. (HC 5:134­35).

The long and the short of it is that God intends for us to be happy in this life as well as the next. True and lasting happiness is found in coming unto Christ and in obedience to His commandments. If you're only eating the nougat, caramel, and nuts, you're not getting the whole Snickers Bar!