Finished!

The 30-day blog challenge is done, and so is my baby blanket. The month ends as it began, with a blanket crocheted for this service project. It's been fun to re-discover the shell pattern which is my favorite, the one I used when I crocheted blankets for my own babies. I'm sure I'll make more, for potential future grandchildren, now that I remember how much fun it is. Thanks to Caley for issuing the challenge for the blog - and the blankets. I'm taking a day off tomorrow, the blog-free 31st day of March. Enjoy conference weekend, everyone!

Mixed-up Kids

If I want to hang them on the same wall now, is it OK that they don't match? Should I just buy new frames for all of them? Black for the boys, white for the girls, or matching hardwood frames? What is the difference between eclectic and just plain old mis-matched? The girl's pictures were framed by the photographers, so they have brown paper on the back...and I don't think I could match those frames if I went looking for them. I need direction in my life.

On the third day of Spring Break...

...and a Partridge in a pear tree!

Organic Music

I played the organ in church today for the first time in six years or more, just filling in. Even though I practiced yesterday, I managed to get the settings all messed up, and the first two songs sounded like (a) a Catholic church (b) a haunted house or (c) I was really trying to change things up in the seventh ward. (these were all comments that were made to me by members of the congregation today.) But fortunately, there were four hymns today, and after pondering (and praying) really hard during the Croxford family's talks, it occurred to me what registration to use for the rest hymn and closing song. Whew. It's not as easy as it looks up there, so next time you are in church and you don't even notice the organist or what they are doing because they blend right in and sound so perfect, you should really thank them.

26.2

It's been kind of like a marathon, making sure to find something to post on my blog each and every day for 26 days now. In blogging, as running, some miles are stronger, some are pretty weak, some you're just glad to have them over and done. I mostly enjoyed all of the miles I ran during the decade of running marathons, and I hope to be able to run many more (miles if not marathons.) My fastest was the St. George Marathon of 2003, when I ran with Carda who pushed me, chasing after a son I thought was ahead of me. My slowest was my 7th marathon, the last one I did before finding out that my meniscus was not only torn and tattered but had also been folded over all these years. Oops! The infinity pool totally made up for it. I promised Emily once that I would not be too old and tired to run a marathon with her when she was old enough. Her enthusiasm may have died down a bit now that she's approaching that age. Whether or not, I do have these 7 medals to show for those particular 183.4 miles. I couldn't have done it without my family there waiting patiently, cheering me on, and running with me the last few miles.

Ugly Tie Day

Today was Ugly Tie Day at school. Once a month, the last Friday of each month, we have a "Freaky Friday" where we have a certain thing to wear or do, like crazy hair or socks, pajama day...you know how it goes at elementary schools. I had Kerry pre-tie a few ties for me last night, since I am unskilled in half-windsors, and took some extras to school for my co-workers who don't have husbands with ties. This tie I wore is made from some indestructible polyester, and it went to Guatemala a few decades ago with Kerry on his mission. It's truly ugly. (This photo was taken with some cute third graders also wearing ties, but I had to crop them out so I don't get fired)

Napili Bay

In the mornings we would go walking out on Napili Point and look for sea turtles.

The Land Before Time

Watch It

Sometimes when BYU is playing in the NCAA tourney and beating Gonzaga in front of John Stockton and his son, you have to rearrange the furniture in your living room and watch the game in your Jimmer Bomber t-shirt.

Take Your Daughter to Work Day

Veronica is in town just for the day, today. The actual "Take Your Daughter(s) and/or Son(s) To Work Day" is in April, but we like to get a jump on the season.

Where Are You Spring?

Today is the first day of Spring, so I went outside looking for signs of it. I guess the main (only?) sign is that the snow has melted, but nothing is budding or blooming or growing yet. I saw a bunny in the neighbor's yard, but he hopped off before I could capture him on film.

Is Spring in the unraked leaves from last fall, that were under the snow all winter?

Is it through the hole in the neighbor's fence?

Is it on the bare branches of the trees in the yard?

Is it reflected in the window of the Cadillac?

Semper Fi

Eighteen = 2 months until 2 years begins

Today being the 18th day of this 30 day blog fest reminds me that Steven is 18, and he is going on a mission on May 18th, 2 months from today. We have this missionary savings can that either Steven or one of his older brothers made in Primary, it's quite heavy with coins, and I'm really not sure how long it's been hanging around. Maybe we should open it up and see what's inside! Also, I recently ran across this necklace/charm/coin type thing that Kerry got from a girl in El Salvador when he was on his mission there 35 years ago. I wonder if that girl is still there, and if Steven might meet her too.

Steven and I the night he opened his mission call, 2-3-11

Groupies

We're in a dinner group, tonight was our turn to host. It's St. Patrick's day, so we had Italian.

Unfortunably when we scheduled this, we didn't realize it would turn out to be during the 2nd half of the BYU game, but it was still fun having dinner with these nice people. BYU won/did not bust my bracket, and Thomas came over to watch the game downstairs with Emily.

Thomas Edison

We're reading a book on Thomas Edison at school, my reading students and I, and it just amazes me how many things he invented. 1093 different patents. Movies, cars, tvs, aspirin, light bulbs...so many things he had a hand in. I guess I appreciate how brilliant he was much more than I did when I was a kid in school. I learn a lot when I'm teaching little kids.

Also I really think there were
light bulbs that looked like these
in our old house on Sherman Avenue.

Recess

Part of my job each day is recess duty. We go outside to play as long as it is above about 10 degrees. Looking forward to Spring!

Puzzlement

This is a puzzle that Lynne painted and Ed cut out, way back when Veronica was a very little girl. A few pieces are missing, but isn't it so cute? My sister Lynne is a gifted artist, I love the little detailed animal paintings in each corner. I found it a few weeks ago in the basement when we were cleaning up for Emily to have a party, and hatched a plan to surprise Veronica by sending it to her for her birthday. But fortunately I couldn't find a box the right size to send it, and at the last minute I decided to save it for another time. I say fortunately because, the zip code that Kerry had saved in his ipod-phone for their address in KY was kind of mixed up...some numbers were right but not in the right order, so as a result I believe I sent her birthday gift to Wapiti, Wyoming. The puzzling thing is that it didn't occur to me that a zip code starting with an 8 would not be in Kentucky, and it didn't occur to the postal worker who took my small parcel either. (But in her defense, I guess since it was a flat rate parcel, she didn't have to look up the rate for various locations, so she just took it and that was that.)
One day maybe that little gift will get to Veronica, or maybe one day it will come back to us since the return address and zip was correct, but in the mean time, here is the gift that was given once, not given this year, and may show up at some point in the future.
If you're ever in Wapiti.

Plus Three

Today I pay tribute to the people who married into our family: Caley, Kyle, and Doug. I couldn't ask for better spouses for my children.

R. Society

It's not exactly Alex Boye rapping, but this is my own tribute video/musical number for the Relief Society birthday party today.  I had a harpist arranged to play for us, but she had to go to Boise, so this was my Plan B.  The song is "She" by Cherie Call.

Field Trip

Let's all go to Boise

I started to write a long explanation for this series of photos, but I think I'll just leave it to your imaginations. Tomorrow we get to take a for-real field trip to Rexburg.

Concerto

Tonight: the Spring Concert for the Blackfoot Bands.