Missing President Hinckley

My brother just called to let me know that President Hinckley passed away this afternoon. I always thought I would cry when I heard the news but right now I'm just numb, and at peace knowing that he is with his dear wife.

After the Relief Society conference meeting in September 2006, I felt inspired to write a letter to President Hinckley. I sent it on a Monday morning (the week before conference). Among other things, I expressed my love and appreciation for him, told him of how inadequate I felt sometimes as a mother, and asked him how he managed his busy schedule and how he resisted the urge to take a nap. I never in a million years expected to get a letter from the church office building the following Monday morning (just after conference). The reply was written by his secretary, but included words that President Hinckley himself wanted me to hear. In his usual humorous style, he told me that it was okay for me to take a nap! Oh how I love this letter! I keep it with my scriptures.

Also, I remember well the day that President Hinckley conducted my Great Uncle Ed's funeral. I was newly married (only 5 or 6 weeks) and Todd was not able to attend. I don't remember what he said, but as he spoke the spirit bore witness to me that Heavenly Father had a plan for me and my new husband. It was a very simple revelation, but one that I will never forget. I even told President Hinckley about it in my letter. I am grateful for the chance I had to be in the same room with him, and feel his amazing spirit in such a secluded setting.

Why didn't anyone tell ME?

Most days Todd takes Brayden to school in the morning and then goes to work from there. Today, he was running behind, so at the last minute I had to take Brayden to school. My windshield was covered in ice so I scraped my side, and tried to drive with my nose against the steering wheel to see out of my little "hole". Unfortunately, when I turned the corner and faced the sun, I couldn't see a thing, so I had to pull over and wait for my windows to defrost--which made Brayden late for school.

I came home only to find Todd outside, with the windshield wipers on his truck going full speed, spraying stuff on his windshield. Within about 45 seconds he was on his way. Apparently he bought this stuff at NAPA several weeks ago and has been using it every morning. I had no clue this stuff even existed. For those of you who don't have a garage--your life just got easier. I think it costs $2 or $3 a can.

This recipe is a keeper

Sweet Pork Burritos (like Cafe Rio, or Costa Vida)
I've tried a few recipes claiming to be like Cafe Rio, but this is by far my favorite.

meat mix:

6lb Pork Roast: Put in Crock Pot and cover halfway up with water and cook for at least 6 hours. Discard Water. Shred.

In separate bowl mix a 12oz can of salsa, 1 can Coke, and 2 cups brown sugar. Pour over meat. Cook an additional 3 hours.

dressing:

In a blender combine:
1 Buttermilk Ranch Mix packet.
2 cups mayo
2 cups buttermilk (or 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup milk)
2 tomatillos
1 jalapeno, seeded
1/2 - 1 bunch cilantro
1 Tbs lime juice
1 clove garlic, crushed

I had to look online to see what a tomatillo was--I've actually had the dressing recipe for awhile but I've been scared of it because of the tomatillo's. Turns out they're a small green tomato, and even though my local grocery store didn't carry them fresh, I found them in a can in the "mexican food" aisle. This dressing is fabulous!

Cilantro Lime rice

I just threw some chopped cilantro and 1/2 cup lime juice in the rice cooker before cooking the rice.

Place meat mix, rice, black beans (we just opened a can, rinsed, and heated them) and dressing on a tortilla. Roll up and experience HEAVEN! Dillon took one bite and said, "mmm, tasty." I think Costa Vida puts cheese in it or on top or something, but we didn't need it.

I did a search online of similar recipes and found one that used lemon-lime soda, and one that used Dr. Pepper. Next time I'll try the Dr. Pepper since it is my favorite.

The meat mix and the dressing make a ton, so I'm freezing some for next time. What a SUPER EASY meal that makes enough for another night. I love it!

You can't just order a Coke anymore...

Have any of you tried to buy a coke lately? I ran to the store the other night to buy a can of coke for a recipe I was making (I'll post it next, 'cause it was fantastic), and I found 13 different kinds of Coke! There was regular, diet, diet caffeine free, vanilla, cherry, black cherry vanilla, zero (is that zero flavor?), Coke with splenda, Coke with nutrients??, Coke with lime, and I can't remember what else, but holy freakin' cow! I felt like I needed to do online research to see everyone's reviews before making my selection.

Unfortunately, they still didn't have what I wanted: Caffeine free regular Coke (not diet). So I settled for Coke with Caffeine (probably why Dillon was bouncing off the walls after dinner).

Todd D. Graves MS, LMFT

This morning Todd sent in his paperwork to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since he finished his supervised hours, passed his test, and his 2 years as an intern were up on Saturday. Hooray!

To celebrate, Todd's mom bought him some *lovely* gifts including a Sigmund Freud bobble head doll, a Freud therapy ball which asks questions such as, "How does that make you feel?" and "Tell me about your mother." And oh yes, we can't forget about the plush "Tickle me Freud".

Our friends, Cami and Travis, started this little collection when they came across a Sigmund Freud action figure at DI and snatched it up for Todd. Thanks for thinking of him, guys! All of these gifts arrived today (perfect timing) and Dillon and I went to the ranch while Todd was at lunch and set them up in his office.

Congratulations Todd! It's been a long hard road, and I am proud.

What I know

I've been thinking for a couple months now that I needed to start including bits and pieces of my testimony of some of the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on my blog. Charlotte's entry about Journals finally kicked me into gear.

Since I don't keep a journal other than my blog, I suppose some of this stuff ought to be recorded, and since my Mom prints this stuff out for me--it just doesn't get any easier.

My patriarchal blessing tells me to bear my testimony often--not only to those who haven't heard the gospel before, but to those who are near and dear to me. So, that means all of you. I'll try not to get too sappy, but just post the things I've learned from life experience.

One of my most recent discoveries (well, in the past couple years) is the words to the Hymns. Several have had a significant impact on my life, so I'll start by sharing those.

A year or so ago, I was visiting Mom and Dad and went to church in their ward. My cousin Erin was there and made a comment in Relief Society that stuck with me. She talked about how her Grandpa always said, "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven," and shared a story about her sister who put that statement to the test. She decided that rather than reading her scriptures at night (which was easier), she would "sacrifice" and get up early to read them. Doing so brought a lot more insight, and blessings she may not have otherwise received.
What a small thing that brought about great results! I think quite often we live below our priviledges in this church. If we are seeking a particular blessing--maybe we should make a small sacrifice, and then stand back and watch the blessings of heaven pour in. It is such a simple concept, but often overlooked. I have put this to the test and want to tell you that I know that Sacrifice DOES bring forth the blessings of heaven. And whenever I hear or sing, "Praise to the Man" that is what I think about. Thanks, Erin, for your comment, and thank you Clarissa for your example.

The next one is very simple, yet difficult to describe, but hear it goes. Last year the primary children sang "Dearest Children, God is Near You" in their annual primary program. As they sang the words, "...He will bless you, He will bless you, if you put your trust in Him," the spirit touched my heart and confirmed the truth of that line, and even though the congregation was supposed to join in, I was unable to sing because I was so moved. Again, a simple concept that requires a little effort on our part for a huge return.

Another song I "discovered" is "Today, While the Sun Shines." It was during the time that we were living with my parents, and the job that Todd had supposedly lined up--fell through. I was feeling pretty hopeless and didn't know where to turn. I just wanted him to finally have a job in his field, and get settled before Brayden would start Kindergarten. The words to this song taught me to look for the good, and that even though we were going through a hard time, there were many things to be grateful for. "Today, while the sun shines work with a will. Today all your duties with patience fulfill. Today while the birds sing harbor no care. Call life a good gift, call the world fair. Today seek for treasure greater than gold. The peace and the joy that are found in the fold. Today seek the gems that shine in the heart; While here we labor, choose the better part."

On September 11, 2001, I found comfort in the 2nd verse of "We Thank, Thee O God, for a Prophet," which reads: "When dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us, and threaten our peace to destroy, there is hope smiling brightly before us, and we know that deliverance is nigh. We doubt not the Lord, nor his goodness. We've proved him in days that are past. The wicked who fight against Zion, will surely be smitten at last." I also think this song fits President Hinckley very well. He is such a great example of "hope smiling brightly" during these troubled times.

And lastly, at least for today, I will mention the 3rd verse of the Star Spangled Banner. Nobody knows it, but it is my favorite, and when I hear the national anthem played, I sing the 3rd verse in my mind. It has particular significance right now, as my good friend will be sending her husband to Afghanistan next week, while she spends the next year or so taking care of her four young children by herself. I am desperately trying to get my life in order so I can spend a night each week "stitchin' and bitchin'" with her. "V", this is for you:
"Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation! Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land praise the pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust!' And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

Sorry for the "naughty" word in the middle of my testimony--but that's truly what we'll be doing. And now I need to get on with my day, but I will continue to type "What I know" in the future, in case what I've learned will help someone else along the way.

Our new piano!

Todd just e-mailed me a picture of our piano from his cell phone. The color is terrible, but at least you can see it :o)

Oh, and thanks to Ben and Carrie for the Home Depot gift card you gave us for Christmas. We used it to buy the lamp that is sitting on the piano (the one that you can't see because it's so bright--but it "looks" over the music like a good piano lamp should, and we like it a lot) :o)

Good and Bad News

The good news is that we got a piano!

The bad news is that Dillon broke our camera, so I cannot post any pictures 'til our new one arrives from Costco.com

The piano story is great, though. Last Saturday we started looking for a piano on KSL.com (that's where we found our truck). Anyway, we found one that we liked and scrolled up to see where it was located, and it was in Loa! 2 1/2 blocks away from our house, to be exact. Then, it got better. I called my brother, Ben (the piano major) to ask him piano related questions, and he was in Gunnison (an hour away) on his way back to L.A. Even though it was snowy, he and Carrie made the trek out to Loa to play the piano and give me some peace of mind in buying it.
THANK YOU BEN AND CARRIE!

This week we rearranged our furniture to make room, and painted two walls in the livingroom before moving the piano in today.
Brayden and Caleb will be starting piano lessons this week, and I think I'll steal their books after they go to bed and try to re-teach myself. I took lessons for six LONG years, so hopefully some of it will come back.

The laundry train derailed at our house

Nearly everyday I wage a silent war in my home: The War on Laundry. I know it's pathetic that in my narrow little world, a pile of clean, folded laundry is a thing of ongoing torment versus a thing of pride and privilege. After all, people in many parts of the world would be thrilled to have such a "problem". Still, problems are relative, and this is mine.

Take one house. Add 2 adults, and 3 kids. Blend thoroughly with a little sweat, grass, sand, dirt, paint, Play-Doh, ketchup, Juicy Juice, ink, rotavirus, and urine. This is a recipe for about 12-14 loads of laundry a week, give or take.

In my house the laundry room is in the basement. That means I can go for days without actually seeing the pile, thereby allowing myself to live in denial that a rapidly-growing-cancerous-lesion-of-a-laundry-pile is growing unchecked in the bowels of the house. If I let it go for more than a few days, I start to feel anxious. Eventually, I'll go downstairs for something – a Dr. Pepper, or a child's toy, or a screwdriver – and there it will be: The Noxious Pile of Decaying Fabric. The Cold Mountain of Soiled Garments. The Pile that Never Ends.

It didn't used to be this way. Once upon a time I was a freewheeling single gal. Just me, one laundry basket, and pocket full of quarters for the 'mat. Remember those lazy days spent at the laundromat, reading someone's discarded 3-month-old People magazines that you could never afford to buy yourself? Okay, so those days weren't so great. But what a difference today: I own at least nine laundry baskets, my very own washer and dryer, and an arsenal of cleansing, soaking, stain-lifting, and softening products.

And speaking of that arsenal: it is interesting to me how the two Weapons of Laundry Mass Destruction – The Washer and The Dryer – were once so loved and now so hated by me. I remember saying to myself as a teenager, "Laundry is the easiest chore there is. You just throw it in, push a button, and it 'does' itself." Why do so many Mom's complain about laundry?

Now I know. Socks are the biggest problem. It is amazing to me how you can have a pile of 126 socks, and none of them match. Some people pin or clip their socks together before they go into the wash. If you could see the dirty, damp sock-wads left in dark corners and closets around my house--you'd understand why this is not an option.

I'm told that this too shall pass, but not before it gets just a bit worse. After all, babies turn into teens with bigger, smellier laundry. Laundry with attitude! But at least they can do it themselves, right?

Or am I living in a fantasy world?

-inspired by an article I read online. Unfortunately, I lost the link so I can't give a reference.