Charlie and Xander are Getting Baptized

Remember the Baptism Banner I made for the boys? What an amazing experience that has been. It has blessed our family and helped prepare the guys so well for their baptism. It's been wonderful. Earlier this month they each bore their testimony about their preparations; it was sweet to hear it from their prespective - a little payback, you know?

They have both earned their knights and are both feeling really excited and happy for their big day.

Yesterday I took them to the Salt Lake Temple to take their baptism pictures. It was a sweet experience with lots of wonderful teaching moments.

I love my boys with all my heart. They are my guiding lights, my own personal north stars.

Farworld Has a Winner!!!

I had four brave souls enter to win an autographed ARC of J. Scott Savage's awesome new book Farworld: Water Keep.

In response to what the wizard meant when he spoke about how every person is magic, they wrote:

He's talking about the ability we all have to make changes in our lives, to do the things we want. If we sit back and do nothing then the magic does not happen but if we put our minds to it, we all have magic in us, we can change things around us. ~ Kari

* * *

In my current state of mind, his words are a soothing balm telling me that I do have the power within myself to accomplish what I need to. I may be overwhelmed, but he is telling me that even when I don't know it, the I can find the resources I need within myself to succeed. ~ Anne

* * *

What Master Therapass words mean to me is that we all have potential. He told Kyja that the real power lies in who you are, what you do and what you may become. It’s all about how we take possibilities and make things happen in our own lives. Whether we believe we have magic in us or not, what we do with the circumstances that are placed before us will determine whether our lives are magical or not. ~ Cathy

* * *

His words mean to me that magic isn't what everyone may think it is. Magic is different for every person. The words tell me that I may not be able to do magic like everyone else but I have my own special magic inside of me. That even though I am different, I have special things in store for me too. I would look at magic differently. I would look harder at others and see their own unique magic. I would see myself as some one that has a certain destiny set out for me. I wouldn't view myself as totally different from everyone else any more. I would see myself as someone that could accomplish something with out special magic just as well as someone who has magic. ~ Laurel
I found these hard to judge because they all, in my opinion are totally correct. In the end though I had to settle on just one winner (though you are all winners to me!) and so I picked ...

Her answer was short and succinct and summed up exactly what the wizards words mean to me, too.

We do have the power to change the world, by utilizing the power within us. It may not 'seem' like magic - at least not the magic of fairy tales, but it is magic nonetheless, because it has power, it is unseen, and it can move mountains - even if those mountains are simply ourselves.

Congratulations Kari! And thank you Cathy, Anne and Laurel for reading my blog and entering my contest!

Thanks especially to Scott for offering up a book to our lucky winner. Even if you didn't win, please stop by your local book store in September and pick up your own copy of Farworld: Water Keep ... or, easier still, simply click here.

Kari, shoot me an email and let me know who you would like the book autographed to and remind me of your address. ali at aworkofheartphotography dot com.

Man Rules

This email's been going around for a long time, but recently it came around to me again and I thought I'd post it. I love this. It cracks me up. It is SO true, don't you think?

Man Rules According to The Man

Man Rules. Take note all you girlies and Learn them.Its the Law
These are our rules! Please note.. These are all numbered '1 ' ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports It's like the full moon. Or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something, or tell us how you want it done. Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say 'nothing,' We will act like nothing's wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really ...

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as RUGBY or Motor sports.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials..

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;
But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Only Five More Days for the FarWorld Contest!!

I've decided (arbitrarely, because this is, after all, my blog) that I will draw this contest to a close on Sunday. Is that five days? My brain is fried and I'm not sure of anything any more. But Sunday, anyway, that's August 24th, this contest will come to a close.

Go here to read all about it and find out how you can win your very own autographed copy of Farworld: Water Keep!

Seriously, you're gonna want this book. It's AWESOME!!

Knowing Your Limits

I haven't posted in a long time because I've barely been keeping my head above water. I have been happily engaged in a number of activities which singly would have been awesome, but together have just about done me in.

Thing is, it wasn't much stuff at all.

But, it somehow managed to be TOO much stuff anyway.

And, as usual, it's fodder for my stream-of-consciousness thinking here.

So, how do you know what is too much for yourself? Or, when to say 'when'?

My problem is, all the stuff is GOOD stuff. All of it worthwhile and valuable. But more than that, I can honestly say pride plays a big role in my willingness to take on that one-too-many thing. I see many friends who appear to do way more than me (of course, what goes on behind closed doors I'm not privy to,) but still, they seem to be able to do it all. And I would like to appear that way too. Except I don't seem to have any closed doors. All my insanity seems to happen on a public stage. I can't appear to do it all, while privately having a nervous breakdown. Oh now, I just fall apart in front of everyone. Nice.

Then again, maybe it is nice. Keeps me real, right? What you see with me is definitely what you get. I am what I am. I is what I is. And all that.

Ok, so I've accepted that everyone has a different invisible line at which point our internal line-sensors say STOP! DO NOT ACCEPT ONE MORE TASK/RESPONSIBILITY! I know where mine is, I can almost always identify it by that sinking feeling in my stomach when someone asks me to do something.

What I'm not sure how to do, is to actually say NO, because saying no would be admitting (before the public display ensues) that I am not capable and we all know I am highly capable. At least, mostly. Particularly if there isn't already a whole line-up of things on my to-do list before you ask me. Oh yes, I am capable, and willing, but only if I have not yet crossed my imaginary TOO MANY THINGS line.

This last time this happened, I felt the line zap me as I crossed over it, like an invisible electric fence. Except I just ignored it and said YES anyway. Too bad I did, since a few days later I was reduced to tears, subjected myself to that public display I alluded to earlier and failed to produce the thing I was supposed to anyway. So I might as well have paid attention to my line and said NO and I wouldn't have embarassed myself and all would be well.

Except maybe my pride wouldn't have survived. But did it, anyway? In a way, yes. Because I did TRY, right? Will I be able to feel good about myself if I don't even try? If I just say NO because I feel I might cross my line?

I don't know. But I think it's high time I tried. I've got to find my sense of pride in something else rather than in being everyone's Girl Friday, because honestly? I suck at that job.

So, I'm learning to know my limits AND to be willing to honor them. Do you? Know your limits? Stick to them? Good for you, if you do. Care to share how you manage?

Room for Two by Abel Keogh ~ Blog Tour!

I first heard Abel Keogh speak at the 6-7-8 Writers’ Conference in June of this year. He was engaging, charming and personable. He spoke about his book, Room for Two, and what he learned about promoting it. I was intrigued by Mr. Keogh and immediately wanted to read his book.

You can imagine, then, how quick I was to jump at the chance to read and review Room for Two for you. I was eager to do it, and it did not disappoint.

Room for Two tells Mr. Keogh’s own true story. It’s sometimes tragic, certainly sorrowful, but in the end, full of hope. For a taste of what this book has to offer, here’s how the back cover reads:

"Sweetie, I'm home." I tried to put as much kindness into my voice as possible. I didn't want to have another argument - at least not right away. Silence. "Sweetheart?" A gunshot echoed from our bedroom, followed by the sound of a bullet casing skipping along a wall. Everything slowed down.

At times I found the reality of Mr. Keogh’s experience hard to bear. Sometimes I didn’t want to continue reading. But I’d read in other reviews that the book was inspiring and after becoming somewhat depressed from what I’d read, I needed to get to the inspiration part! I’m happy to report, it did not disappoint.

Not only is Room for Two an intriguing glimpse into the heart and mind of a young widower, particularly that of a man whose wife had taken her own life—and that of their unborn daughter, but it offers all of us an opportunity to try to discern for ourselves what we are made of and how we will view the challenges we face in life.

There’s a wonderful little lesson that Mr. Keogh shares—a remembered conversation with his mom. I don’t want to give it away, but it is a gem that makes the entire book worth reading.
If you enjoy true stories, particularly those that feature the triumph of the human spirit over the tragedies of life, you will love Abel Keogh’s Room for Two. You can buy your own copy by clicking here. You can also go to Mr. Keogh’s own site for more information about him and his story.

Preparedness Principles by Barbara Salsbury ~ Blog Tour!

I love, love, love this book!

Since I received a calling a few years ago to be our Ward’s Preparedness Specialist, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for this topic. I was released after only one year, just as I felt I was beginning to get a handle on all the myriad aspects of preparedness. I should rephrase that. I was just starting to understand all that needed to be done, and still, after a year, only just getting my toes wet. What I wouldn’t have done for this book by Barbara Salsbury!

Preparedness Principles by Barbara Salsbury, managed, in a mere 354 pages, to encapsulate all the essential elements to proper home preparedness.

At first, I thought there was no way Salsbury could adequately cover all that her table of contents promised to cover in such a relatively ‘short’ book. But her writing is so succinct, her handle on the subjects so complete, that she is able to share them in a understandable and complete fashion. Even the chapter on indoor gardening, “Growing Your Own Groceries: Mighty Mini-Gardens,” was filled with enough information that I felt I could go out and do what she suggested.

Salsbury tackles subjects as diverse as how you can store a McDonalds in your cupboard to a unique way to use your thermos in an emergency and the documents you must have in your 72-hour kit. My mind has been opened to all the possibilities and with Salsbury’s excellent grasp on the subject and her ability to convey all she knows in an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand fashion, I feel like I can really do this!

I wish I had this book when I was our Ward Preparedness Specialist because I think, with its help, I would have been able to educate my Ward members on a lot more subjects and encourage them to not feel afraid about the small steps they could take. I would have recommended to them, as I do to you now, that you invest in this book.

You can buy Prepardness Principles yourself by clicking here. I encourage you to do so. Even if your interest in food storage is minimal, all of us can see the value in being prepared for any emergency that might come our way. In this day and age, I think all of us would find some comfort in being prepared.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you Barbara Salsbury for this excellent, informative and helpful book!

Caught in the Headlights by Barry K. Phillips ~ Blog Tour!

Recently I had the privilege of reading Caught in the Headlights by Barry K. Phillips. I had wanted to read this book since I sat behind Barry at the 6-7-8 Conference at Cedar Fort Publishing in June of this year. I was the unfortunate road block between a conversation between Candace Salima and Barry and it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement that Barry exuded.

He was fairly bursting with the great news of the upcoming release of his new book Caught in the Headlights—and his enthusiasm was contagious! So I was equally thrilled when Candace contacted me and asked if I would be willing to review Barry’s book. Willing? Absolutely! Ecstatic is a better word.

I am happy to report that Barry’s book is something to be proud of—no wonder Barry couldn’t wait to tell his friends at the conference about its release. I want everyone to read this book and I didn’t even write it!

The press release for Caught in the Headlights reads:

“From goals such as happiness, self-esteem, protecting our pride, or the perfect physique, Phillips takes a closer look at those aims prized by society and explores how we can pursue higher goals. A thoughtful, funny, and at times profound look into the real reasons we all have for the things we do, this book will entertain, enlighten, and inspire.”

I was surprised by some of the goals Barry included in the book—like the perfect physique. But when I read his take on it and how his quest for that perfect bod really became a search for _____ I understood why it had to be there. Of course it had to be there. Too many of us are way too caught up in how we look and not enough concerned with the quality of person we are on the inside.

Others, like Pride and Forgiveness, resonated with me.

On Pride, Barry said:

“Pride is about comparisons. You never become happy with what you have or what you have accomplished because you always need to keep ahead of everyone else. Rather than being happy for another’s success, you despise them for it. It’s as though you are playing a zero sum game and if anyone else gets something, you are diminished. Even if another’s success is not related to you or your world at all. And if they are in your field, your world, or your sphere, then the pain of their success is almost too much to bear. Pride brings a fear of losing that which we value most—the love and admiration of everyone we see. Of course, as we just talked about, if you are prideful, you don’t’ have their love and admiration to begin with. You just think you do.”

You have to read the book for yourself to find out what it is that Barry believes we really need when what we desire is to be proud. Here’s another little taste to pique your interest—on Forgiveness:

“One of the hardest things I’ve had to do is to truly forgive someone. That may surprise you, and I know it did me. It seems so easy to do, until you are faced with a situation where you’ve really been handed a raw deal. The truth is, most times we can usually find something we could have done better ourselves in a given situation. But that doesn’t matter. Even if you are completely in the right with no fault of your own—like the woman with the frozen turkey—the requirement is the same. Forgive.”

In addition to Pride and Forgiveness, Barry offers truly insightful thoughts on Happiness, Self-Esteem, Freedom, Control, Tolerance, Success, The Big Event, and of course, The Perfect Body. The only thing I didn’t totally love about Caught in the Headlights were the poems at the end of each chapter. It’s not that that they were bad, they just didn’t thrill me. What did thrill me were the original cartoons at the beginning of each chapter—they were really funny!

You can buy the book here, or check out your local bookstores. You can also check Barry out at his site and blog. Oh, and if you’re a Glenn Beck fan, you’ll appreciate knowing that he gave his stamp of approval on Caught in the Headlights—and you know, if Glenn likes it, it’s gotta be good! And, for what it’s worth, I approve of it too—buy this book, and buy a couple more for co-workers or friends—this book is a keeper.

The Farworld Blog Tour is Here AND a Contest!

Welcome Fantasy Readers the World Over! Come get a taste for a great new epic fantasy adventure and enter to win your very own copy!


Farworld: Water Keep is a glorious adventure that young and old will enjoy. This wild ride will take you to places I guarantee you have never before imagined, and you will love every minute.

I don’t want to give away the fun twists and turns that I enjoyed so much, but I will tell you—when you read this book, read with your 3-D glasses on. You will be so blown away by the wild creatures J. Scott Savage has invented for our enjoyment! There are some pretty freaky things in there that make you really wonder what it must be like inside this guys’ head.

I loved it, and I know my boys will likewise thoroughly enjoy the varied and mind boggling creatures, and the anything-is-possible vibe to this book.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars, and highly recommend it.

Don’t hesitate to pick up a copy as soon as you get the chance. In fact, you can go here to pre-order your own copy from Amazon.com. Or, you can get some of your own creative juices flowing and enter my contest to win your very own Advanced Reader Copy of Farworld: Water Keep.

**Contest**

Think about this passage from Farworld: Water Keep:

“Listen to me,” he said, his face dark and serious. “You are right. Everything does have magic in it. From the smallest of insect to the mighty trees of Before Time.”
Kyja looked up at him miserably. “But not me.”
Master Therapass smiled. “Even you, little one. But magic is not just spells. The magic you see on the outside—making pots and pans fly or brewing potions to make boys swoon before you—is but a tiny fraction of the power of true magic. The real power of magic lies within you. Who you are, what you do, and most importantly of all, what you may become.”
Kyja wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “You really think I might have some magic inside me then?”

The wizard nodded. “I know you do.”

Now. Answer me this. Imagine Master Therapass was speaking to you, today. Sitting at your kitchen table, enjoying your homemade chocolate chip cookies and some lemonade. You are Kyja, desperately hoping that he might be right and there might in fact be some magic in you after all.

Tell me what his words mean to you. What do they tell you about yourself? About your life? How might his words change how you see things, see yourself? You can either email me at ali at aworkofheartphotography dot com or leave your entry in the comment trail for this post.

Because it’s my blog and I’m the Queen of GrrlWrrld, I’m going to pick the answer I like best. So there. I'll give you until August 15th to get in your entries, and then I'll pick the winner! Make sure you give me some way to contact you to let you know you've won.

Seriously folks, this is a book you are gonna want on your bookshelves. And how cool to have your very own ARC, which hardly any other people have?

**Q&A**

Now, while you’re noodling over how you’re gonna knock my socks off with your answer to the magical question above, let’s enjoy a nice chat with J. Scott Savage, author of Farworld: Water Keep:

Scott and I hopped a plane for Edinburough, Scotland. It was a long flight, but we still had the energy to rent a car and drive into the countryside where we found an old, stone hewed castle. Forget jet lag, we happily hiked the time-worn stairs to gaze out at the countryside below. The rocks feel almost smooth beneath our elbows as we lean over the precipice and gaze out at eternity. In the distance we can see the waves crashing against the rocky shore. I crack open the tartan thermos we picked up at the market in town and pour us each a cup of hot chocolate. Mmmm.

So Scott, how do you like the biting chill of the Scottish countryside when it’s baking hot back home?

Aye, yer a fine lassie indeed. I feel like raisin me voice to the sky and singin yer praises. Bet I fear the wee little birdies would die of fright at the sound of me voice. Sorry, I guess it was the Tartan thermos that pushed me over the edge. I’m okay now. This is great. How can you not be inspired to write fantasy in a setting like this.

Do you have a nice air conditioned office in which to create your literary masterpieces or do you have to keep a damp rag on hand with which to regularly pat your brow?

Fortunately I have A/C. But my laptop occasionally needs a damp rag.

Standing here, overlooking the gorgeous Scottish countryside, does any of it remind you of Farworld?

Yes. At least the parts of Farworld we’ve seen to this point. Very green and lush. But other parts of Farworld remind me a lot of the deserts back in Utah. And so far I haven’t seen any men in Farworld walking around in skirts and carrying bagpipes. But hey there’s still four books to go right?

I can't wait to see what goes into them!

Scotland has a rich history of mythical beasties. What would they think of some of the creatures you’ve conjured up?

Can any fantasy creature really compete with Nessy the Loch Ness Monster? I think even JK Rowling’s Dementors would have taken one look at her and said, “Dude, let’s go back to harassing those Quidditch players.” Got to admit though that I’d really like a Frost Pinnois to go flying overhead.

Oh man! The Frost Pinnois was my favorite creature from your book! The visuals on that guy were amazing. I can still totally picture him.

And magic is no stranger in this place either. In fact, even today you’ll find many people who believe they possess magic, or that magic is all around them. Would you feel right at home in a place like this?

Either you’ve been reading my mind or reading other interviews. I do think that there is magic all around us. Especially on a day like today where everything seems to glisten and sparkle, I totally expect to see a Leprechaun come bouncing up out of the clover. I wouldn’t want to live here year round. But if I could sit up in this castle with my laptop, writing my next book, I would be in seventh heaven.

Do you possess any magic of your own? Maybe a superpower? Care to share? I promise I won’t tell.

Well, I don’t like to brag or anything, but I can grow super weeds. Seriously, nine, ten feet tall. Dogs go looking for their balls in those weeds and they never come out. The military has asked me to create an entire troop of them for dangerous duty situations, but my weeds are for the good of all mankind.

Ahh, then you'd fit right in here in Scotland--the rest of the world sees the Scottish Thistle as a noxious weed, but we Scots know the truth. But I think maybe you do too? The Thistle is one of the Scots' might jokes on the world.

You know they have a wicked sense of humor—surely you noticed that on our ride through town? Do you have any wickedly funny jokes to share?

What you mean the three old codgers who mooned us on the way over? I wonder who wrote “Go” “Home” “Yanks” on their bums with lipstick? Now that would be hazardous duty! You mean you didn’t think my farm jokes were wickedly funny? How about this. What did the skeleton order in the bar? A beer and a mop! Okay, so stand up comedy is not my strong suit.

I love it. That's just the kind of fun humor I enjoyed with your barn animals--have to admit, taht was one of my favorite parts of the book! Well, guess what Scott, I’ve got a few superpowers of my own, and I predict that Farworld: Water Keep will be a huge hit.

That is a superpower I can get behind. How can it fail with great interviews and reviews like this?

No kidding! Thanks for coming on this trip with me Scott, and for talking with me about magic and beasties—It was great fun!

It was great. Thanks for inviting me. I love hanging out with whirling girls who say, “beastie.” Thanks so much!!!!

And the Winner of My Most Amazing Birthday Greeting Contest is ...

I loved all the poems and the fun things you did. They were awesome! Thank you!

But Stephanie really went above and beyond. She took my 40 Somethings to heart and gave me 40 Gifts! She sent me virtual cards and gifts and flowers and plants, videos and you name it, she sent it! Forty of them!! She rocked in the birthday greeting thing to the max so she deserves my most awesome birthday prize.

I promised my favorite book, The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay.



However, I was so impressed by Stephanie's obvious love and adoration of me that I decided to honor her with the entire trilogy!

Thanks for making my birthday celebration fun you guys! Sorry for the depressing threads now and then, but hey, that's my life, right? It's all played a part in who I am today. Many of you suggested I ought to write my memoirs. I've thought of that from time to time, but so far, I haven't been able to wrap my head around everything that happened in my life. Maybe one day. Thanks for the encouragement, though!

Stephanie, will you please email me and let me know your mailing address? I'll get these wonderful books off to you shortly!

The Final 40 Somethings!

Either you're gonna be thrilled that this is the end of my 40 Somethings, or your going to looking forward to when I turn 50 (though I'm not sure what that might be, perhaps I'll only need to add 10 more somethings!)

**let's step aside, shall we? I left my underwear showing last night! Oops! Sorry about that! I wrote this big post and it accidentally got deleted and I was so frustrated that I walked away and didn't realize I'd left the teeny part of my post that I hadn't erased! Sorry again!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled post**

#30

Shortly after my mom decided I was grown up, which, if you figured out, meant to her that she was free to leave this world, she fell into a diabetic coma. Her doctor said her time was close and that I should call my family.

My sister, who lived in another province at the time, took a leave of absence from her work and was there by the next day. She had been there periodically to care for mom during the duration of moms' illness and I have to say I harbored a bit of resentment toward her. And she felt the same about me. She felt I was to selfish and didn't really care what was happening with our mom.

But my mom's illness, her dying, was a precious gift to my sister and I.

I dropped out of school so I could be with Mom. Heather and I worked side by side every day for almost two months, caring for Mom.

She was weak where I was strong, and I was weak where she was strong. Together, we took great care of Mom. And caring for Mom, we came to truly love and respect each other.

Mom died on December 12th, 1987 and the best thing she bequethed us was a sister, a friendship to last forever.

#31

Fast forward through a couple long, dark years and I went to Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia (which, I realized, I put the insignia for under Guelph. Oops!) I auditioned and was accepted into the Vocal Performance program. It was awesome and I was so happy, finally.

#32

The missionaries tracted into me while I lived in bright little apartment at the top of a hill on the shores of the Bay of Fundy. Actually, there's a whole story there, but hardly appropriate for my Somethings.

When they found me I was into the occult. Not the dark arts, but I was a healer.

I gave it all up to join the Church. I investigated for three short weeks and the day I entered the waters of baptism was the happiest of my life.

#33

I began to have such pain in my jaw. It was hard to talk even, to smile. I saw a doctor and after a great deal of testing it was determined that because of a fall I took when I was one year old in which I had dislocated my jaw (and it had never been repaired) my jaw was in serious trouble. I was told I had to stop singing or I wouldn't even talk within five years.

My doctor even called the Dean of Music and informed him of my condition, but still I refused to quit. Then my voice teacher broke my heart. She told me I didn't really have any talent anyway and I should just quit. I was wasting her time. I believed her, and so I quit. I gave up singing altogether, barely singing in Church, even.

Instead of my days being filled with music, I filled them with political science and philosophy.

#34

I met my hubby while going to school at Acadia. He was serving a mission there--trust me, it was strictly platonic and all that good stuff! He even encouraged me to go on a mission.

But when I saw him off at the airport at the conclusion of his airport, we shook hands and something was different.

He knew. I knew. Even the mission president's wife knew.

We were to be married.

#35

David called me on July 12th and asked me if I would marry him. Like I said, I already knew.

We enjoyed five months of long distance phone calls and many, many letters.

I flew 5,000 miles and showed up on December 18th, all by myself, wedding dress in hand and we were married on December 27th in the Logan, Utah Temple.

#36

I was Co-Chairman of Acadia University's Student Council in my graduating year (the year I married David.)

I loved sinking my teeth into the school's constitution and discovered a real love for constitutional law. I decided that's what I wanted to do with my life, since I couldn't sing.

#37

When I graduated from University in the spring of 1992, David and I threw everything into the back of our little staion wagon and drove from Nova Scotia, Canada, to Rexburg, Idaho, USA.

I cried when we drove in Idaho. Everyone told me I would love it, but it was so barren and brown.

#38

Rexburg wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be, but Boise was much, much better. We moved there when David finished his associates at Ricks'.

We lived in Boise for about five years and it was wonderful.

(I'm cheating now ...)

#39

In Boise, on my way to work one day, I passed by the Idaho Arts building and saw a sign posted on their billboard. They were having an open call for singers to audition for the Opera Chorus.

I called to ask some questions ... after all, I couldn't sing, right? I had no talent, or so I believed. The receptionist said they had a new voice coach who had just joined them also, and so I made an appointment with her.

I wasn't in pain anymore, the dry heat of the west coast seemed to have banished the pain in my jaw. But still, I knew I had no talent.

When I met with DeNice Jensen, former principle artist for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, I asked her if she would be totally honest with me. I needed to know if I was awful, or if I could audition for the Opera Chorus.

She worked me hard and put me through my paces, but in the end I felt hope once more.

Singing is my life. It's where I really, finally, come alive. And for the first time in a long time, I saw a chance that it might be part of my life again.

I auditioned for the Chorus and got in.

#40

Here we go! The very last one! And I'm going to end it on the music, I think, since it makes me happy.

I enjoyed five years singing with the Opera Idaho. I worked my way up, so to speak and left the Chorus to become a principle with the company. Oh what joy that was to me!

I sang the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Magic Flute, Nannetta in Verdi's Falstaff, Guenivere in Lerner and Loewe's Camelot and the role of my life, Baby Doe in Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe.

I gave up my career when my belly was too full of my twin boys to sing any longer. After their birth, I didn't have the heart for the long hours away from the loves of my life.

I hope you enjoyed my 40 Somethings. Tomorrow I'll announce the winner of my Awesome Birthday Greeting contest!

40 Somethings!

Oh no, I haven't forgotten! But yes, I am feeling more and more concerned about my ability to pull this off! So here we go!

#23
When I was thirteen I woke up one Saturday morning and discovered a strange man sitting at our table having breakfast. Mom was still in bed.

He told me his name was Bosco and he was going to live with us now.

You can imagine my reaction. I didn't freak out, it was more one of those "Say what?" kind of moments. Oh and there was storming--I was a thirteen year old girl, after all. I stormed up to my mom's room to confront her on what the guy had just said.

It was true.

Bosco lived with us for six years and he was an evil, bad man.

#24
I did not really love highschool. I was frustrated by the 'he said/she said' mentality of it and couldn't wait for everyone to just grow up. I thought University would be my ticket and I looked forward to it like crazy.

#25
I was treasurer of my graduating class's student council.

#26
I went to grade thirteen.

Bet you didn't know that in some places in Canada (and Ontario was one of them) that kids who wanted to go to university had to go to grade thirteen, or have five years of high school. Weird, eh?

If you didn't plan to go to university, then you could graduate after grade twelve. But if you did want to go to uni, then yeah, you needed to graduate from grade thirteen!

#27
When I was in grade thirteen, so I was eighteen years old, my Mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was liver cancer and they gave her 0-6 months to live. I found out from the evil Bosco. I thought my life was going to end right there.

#28
When I graduated high school I thought maybe I might become a veterinarian. Either that or a lawyer. Ha! Quite the spread there, eh?

In the end, I did end up going with political science. I went to the University of Guelph Ontario in ... you guess it! Guelph, Ontario. I refused to believe that Mom was really going to die, so I went ahead and went to school. Guelph was about two hours away from London, where I lived with my Mom.


#29
Not long after school started in the Autumn of 1987, Mom's health began to decline rapidly. I went home every weekend to be with her. Pretty soon my weekends were getting longer and longer, lasting from Thursday to Monday, because I couldn't wait to get home to her and hated to leave her again.

Remember my story earlier in my 40 Somethings when I told you about the near-suicide and my saving arm in the rearview? Fast forward to a Thursday afternoon when I dashed into our apartment already talking a mile a minute about all the fun I was having at school and everything I was learning--particularly from a political philosophy professor I was really enjoying.

Mom was sitting on the couch, her face jaundiced and drawn and she looked up and smiled at me.

"My goodness. You're all grown up!"

And you can probably guess what happened then.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

I loved this book! I liked it much better than the Twilight Series, though I liked those too.

In this story, relationships are built between humans and an invader race of aliens. You'd expect to just hate the invaders, but Stephanie Meyer manages to make them likeable, even sympathetic. There are interesting twists and turns between the relationships that develop between humans, between aliens and even between the human/aliens, or hosts and souls.

Stephanie Meyer's writing has matured a great deal from the Twilight books and really stands up to scrutiny in The Host.

I would definitely recommend this book!

Paying it Forward

I have an amazing friend who I have known for about nine years now. Her name is Janis--she's smart, witty and full of life and zeal. Janis and I became friends when we both became pregnant with twins. I had Charlie and Xander in September of 2000 and she had Jimmy and Joe in October of that year.

Jimmy & Joe

A few years ago Janis was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was far advanced before it was found and caused her to lose her breast. She beat the disease at the time and has enjoyed perhaps a year of freedom from her illness. However recently, she has been experiencing pain in her legs and pelvis.

Several doctor visits later and it has become clear that Janis once again has breast cancer, except now it has metastasized into her bones. She will not be leaving us any time soon, in the measurement of days, but she won't live a long life like the rest of us expect for ourselves. Janis says she can see three years for herself, but at the moment she isn't expecting more--if she can have that much, she'll be happy.

Janis

That's pretty harsh, isn't it? Could you say that for yourself, honestly? Don't get me wrong. Janis says, every day, "Cancer sucks." But she's choosing to face her future with grace, and ... realism.

Part of Janis' reality is that she can't do all the things that she needs to do in life. She's in pain. And things are going to become even more difficult as she endures the endless treatments ahead. Ever pragmatic, Janis went about trying to find ways to deal with the realities of her future.

A friend recommended a wonderful philanthropic organization, Cleaning for a Reason. "This newly formed nonprofit offers free professional housecleaning services to improve the lives of women undergoing treatment for cancer" (from the cleaningforareason.org website.)

Janis contacted them, however they didn't have a cleaning service participating in their program in Janis' area. Not one to be denied, Janis contacted a local Molly Maids service in Michigan and spoke with the owner, Tim Shellen.

Unfortunately, Mr. Shellen was not able to help her because he doesn't service her county in Michigan. He expressed interest in the organization but suggested that Janis contact someone in her own area for her needs.

It was a good conversation, but ultimately fairly useless.

Until Mr. Shellen called Janis back.

He is going to provide her with housecleaning services one to two times a month for as long as she needs it. When she related this story to me, she said, "I am so extremely grateful. I told him he just doesn't know how much this means to me. this is just a blessing, more than anyone can imagine."

But when she asked Mr. Shellen what she could do to repay him? He said, "Pay it forward."

Benjamin Franklin, is first attributed with the concept of paying it forward in a letter to Benjamin Webb dated April 22, 1784:

"I do not pretend to give such a Sum; I only lend it to you. When you [...] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money."

Janis asked all of her friends to write Mr. Shellen a thank you note--and she has a lot of friends! And I thought, I would write about him here and encourage all of you to look around you and see how you have been blessed and how you might pay it forward.

I love Mr. Franklin's concept of doing much with a little money--and I might add, with a little effort, a little time. If we all strove to pay it forward, to do a little good as it was done to us, we might find ourselves living in a much better, a much happier, world.

40 Somethings!

Well, today's the big day! I am, officially, forty years old.

Today has been really quiet and not much happened, but not because my family doesn't love me and want to spoil me ... but being a Sunday and having not been paid in over a month, well, doesn't amount for a very exciting day. BUT at least now I know my birthday will be spread out and will last even longer! Cool!

So, I thought I would do birthdays for my somethings today. I have two favorite birthdays from my childhood:

#21
One summer my mom rented a camp spot in Grand Bend, Ontario. It had a beach and a small hip town on a lake so large you couldn't see the other side of it. It was like being at the ocean--it was awesome.

For my birthday we loaded up the car and headed to Grand Bend. We would turn the volume up loud in the car, as we listened to a 50's cassette on the 8-Track. (Oh yeah, I'm that old.) We bopped with our arms flailing out the windows singing our hearts out to to "Rockin' Robin." Good times.

I barely remember the birthday, only that it was awesome. I felt loved and happy. Good times, for sure.

#22
My most favorite childhood birthday was my sixteenth. Heather was in town (she lived in Nova Scotia by this time, so it was a treat to have her home.) She and Mom put on a scavenger hunt through our backyard. I'd never had anything like that before and it was so much fun. Mom gave me a boom box (for you young un's that's a huge portable CD player, except in those days it also sported a dual cassette so you could record one cassette to another. Very high tech.)

Laurie was with us and she was just awesome What a great friend she was. We had cake together and then my mom, bless her, put on "Sixteen Candles" (the song, not the movie.) She took me by the hand and danced with me.

She hugged me close and said, "I love you, Baby."

It was the sweetest moment of my childhood.

Thank you all for the awesome birthday wishes! I love you all for brightening my day!

Season of Sacrifice by Tristi Pinkston

My first book review for my Summer Book Trek 2008 is Season of Sacrifice by Tristi Pinkston.

I have never read a book like Season of Sacrifice before. The closest I've come is Gerald Lund's series The Work and The Glory. However, unlike The Work and The Glory, Season of Sacrifice takes very little creative license with the historical facts.

Season of Sacrifice tells the story of those Mormon pioneers who were called to establish a route between southern Utah and the San Juan valley. They are respectively referred to as the Hole-in-the-Rock pioneers because they had to blast their way through a small crevice in the rock to make a road wide enough for the wagon train to pass through.

In particular, the story follows the lives of Ben Perkins, Mary Ann Perkins and her sister, Sarah--Sarah and Ben are Tristi's own ancestors, so the story was close to her heart and I believe she does it justice.

I enjoyed the book and was fascinated by all the challenges the pioneers were forced to overcome. They lived by the theme that if God had willed for them to cross the rocky desert, He must have provided a way for them to do so. That kind of obedience and faithful dedication is inspiring to me and I enjoyed reading about all the opportunities they had to prove themselves to Father and He to them. They obeyed and He never failed to reward them.

My one disappointment with this book was that I felt that in an effort to not spare any important historical information, Tristi sacrificed some storytelling. There were a few scenes where I felt rushed and didn't have a good handle on what was happening in the scene all around and I wished things could just slow down a little bit and let me feel, see, hear and taste what was happening.

However, if you're interested in Church history, or even just the history of the settling of the west, I would still highly recommend this book. If you're looking for more information on polygamy, A this would not be the book for you: While the topic is addressed, it is done so quite briefly and without any specific information. But as a telling of the epic adventure of a small group of Saints who undertook a death defying trek to obey the command of their God, this is a true star in the heavens. A worthy addition to your collection of 'good books'--Tristi Pinkston's Season of Sacrifice.

40 Somethings!

Ack! What have I done!

#15
I tend to bite off a bit more than I can chew. With all the best intentions, of course! Like my 40 Somethings blog-craziness ... what was I thinking? So ... I can no longer vouch for my amazing story-telling abilities or the quality of the Somethings themselves (ha!) because I've got to get these done, boys and girls!

#16
I remembered another funny from when I was like 11 years old or so. Ya ready? This pretty much sums up my need to be liked and the general neurosis that is, well, me.

So I was on my way home from equestrian camp (the best thing my Mom ever did for me--she had me take horse back riding lessons for several years including camp for much of the summer every summer for several years. I know it was very expensive and difficult for her but it was the love of my life and made me SO happy) one summer afternoon. The seats were crowded and my arms would rub against my neighbors because there just wasn't room to have space between us.

On this particular drive, this girl, my friend, said "Eww! Your arms are so hairy! And your eyebrows are growing together too!"

Horror!

I had never really considered my eyebrows up until this moment, but I could barely stand the thought of anyone else looking at me because they must be just awful! Bride of Frankenstein and all that.

As soon as I got home, I ran up the stairs and straight into the bathroom. What did I do there? Well, I bet you can guess. Here, guess .... Did you guess?

If you guessed that I ran right upstairs, locked myself into my bathroom and shaved right down the middle of my eyebrows, you'd be totally right!

Not only did I take a razor and run it right between my eyebrows (which pretty much just left a small half of my eyebrows,) but I shaved my arms and my legs, because it was only a matter of time before someone noticed my hideously hairy legs too.

Oh yeah. If you thought I was sexy with my skin tight white jeans, you would have loved to have seen me after my advanced hair treatments. I was seriously H-O-T.

Of course my mom freaked. Not because I had done it, so much as that now she would have to teach me how to shave my legs for real and how to pluck my eyebrows.

Thankfully, I've completely blocked out how anyone else responded to my new trend-setting look. I'm sure it couldn't have been good. But then I moved into my new special look; that of the only eleven girl you'd ever meet with pencil thin eyebrows a la the fifties which is where my mom learned her beauty techniques.

And then Brooke Shields came out flaunting her gorgeously bushy eyebrows and I was pitiful with my tiny line of brow. Oh the shame.

#17
When I was growing up my mom tortured me on my birthday by not even acknowledging that it was my birthday until 4:15 in the afternoon which was when I was born. Now that, seriously twisted.

#18
Okay, back to thirteen. At thirteen I got my first real boyfriend. I'd had boyfriends before, but they were the kind of school boyfriends--you know, you hang out with them at recess and woo you're going steady. But now there was Zini and he was sixteen years old.

He was a dangerous boy (think James Dean) and introduced me to the dark side of life. Mom was working full time and going to singles dances very often and I was ... lonely. Zini and his crowd filled my need.

They were into drugs and drinking and all that stuff. I don't remember ever seeing parents at his house and he had this cool basement where we would all hang out. I'd tell you about what it was like there, but this is a relatively clean blog. The good news is that drugs and drinking didn't do anything for me. Yes, I tried them. But thankfully I didn't like them. I would sit with my friends while they did their things though. I'm sure there was some second-hand buzz that I enjoyed, but I don't remember.

What I do remember is Zini's sister telling me that she was glad I was Zini's girlfriend because I was a good influence on him. I wondered at that, since he was still not a good guy, but she said without me he was really bad.

That feeling that I was could sacrifice my own happiness for the good of someone else became a bit of a theme song for me and dictated my relationship choices for the next several years.

#19
For some reason I didn't hang out with my best friend Laurie during the summer after elementary school. I got chubby. And my first year of high school I was lonely and fat and a far cry from the 'prettiest girl in school.' But toward the end of grade nine Laurie took me under her wing again and decided taht I should try out for the cheerleading squad with her.

It was a total fluke, but I loved Laurie, was grateful for the attention and since Laurie was cool, it made me feel a bit better about myself too. I trained for the cheerleading audition with her all summer long. I lost the weight, got fit and in grade ten I went back to high school a cheerleader, and with a few more friends than I'd had the year before.

And, I was a cheerleader! How weird is that? Can you pick me out? Ahh, nah. You wouldn't be able to because the pic is so small. But that's me on your far right sitting on the back of a girl.


#20
Hmmm, hmmm. I'm feeling tapped out. What comes next?

For lack of any other inspiration, let me tell you about cheerleading in Canada. It is totally not like it is in the United States. We weren't well funded, so our uniforms were handed down year after year. Except we bought our own undies, thank goodness for that!

We weren't the most popular girls or the hottest girls (well, okay, maybe we were pretty darn cute,) we were just fun and peppy girls who liked to bounce around at sporting events. Oh yeah, and that's the other thing that was different about us ... we cheered at just about every sporting event. from track and field to hockey. Oh yeah, hockey. You try cheering at a hockey arena. Somehow, we managed!

Cats, Cats, we'll show them where it's at,
come on (clap clap)
come on (clap clap)
Cats, Cats, we'll show them where it's at,
come on (clap clap)
come on (clap clap)
The Cats are in the huddle, all dressed in brown in gold
The captain puts his head in, and this is what we're told...
WE'RE ROUGH (clap clap) WE'RE TOUGH (clap clap)
WE'RE READY (clap clap) TO FIGHT (clap clap)
WE'RE ROUGH (clap clap) WE'RE TOUGH (clap clap)
WE'RE READY (clap clap) TO FIGHT (clap clap)
F-I-G-H-T....FIGHT TEAM FIGHT!

Beck '08

Tonight my great friend (and YW President), Wendy, took me and David out to see Glenn Beck's live Election '08 show. I wish we'd gotten a picture!

It was a great show. For one thing, there were two theaters filled to capacity at our local movie place, and there were theaters around the country hosting the show as well. It was inspiring and made me feel hopeful that there were other people nationwide who felt as we do about this great nation and its potential for good in the world.

Glenn told a story that sums up how I feel about this great country. He talked about his little girl who, at the age of eight told him that she wanted to attend Yale University when she grew up.

At the time, Glenn was barely making ends meet and could barely afford to pay is meager $695/month rent payment. How in the world would he ever pay for Yale?

He told his little girl that he bet if she worked really hard, she could one day go to Yale, if she really wanted to, and secretly he hoped that she would work hard enough to earn herself scholarships!

Well, this spring he walked with his daughter on the campus of an ivy league school. He painted the picture for us:

A lovely spring day walking among the old ivy-covered stone buildings. He strode behind his daughter who walked side by side a professor while the cherry blossoms were caught on the breeze and swirled to the ground at their feet.

"This," he thought, "this is the moment to remember." This was the moment he had worked hard for--and his daughter both, had worked for. She, to earn a place in that esteemed institution, and he to achieve economic freedom sufficient to help his daughter fulfill her dreams.

That is America.

The land of opportunity. Each of us has the opportunity, the right, to be all that we dream we can be--through hard work and perseverance. It doesn't require a government hand out. Not a stimulus check or free healthcare. What it requires is guts.

I sat in a room tonight with thousands of other people across the country who all believe in the same thing ... our God given freedom and right to be all that He created us to be. I will stand in defense of that freedom. Will you?

Holy Birthday Greetings Batman!

Well, color me Lov-Ed. I put out a call for some feel-good vibes and you have not failed me! No, not a whit!

I am crackin' up laughing at some of your attempts at poetry (and you call yourself writers? hahahaha!) Okay, okay, my bad. I did say they could be corny. But still. Really?

But some of you! My oh my, you're getting perty darn creative (Stephanie!) and I'm just tickled.

Thank you! You guys R-O-C-K!!!

40 Somethings #14

Don't forget! My birthday is in just a few days and so far no one has tried to win my heart with an awesome birthday greeting! Either ya'll don't love me (perish the thought!) or you're lazy. Nah, that couldn't be it! Come on, with all the creative types that read my blog? Surely someone can come up with a little poem ... something ... anything ... to make my day? I told you I'd give you a prize!

Ok, so back to the game.

When I was about 13, I lived in London, Ontario with my mom. My brother Richard, who I didn't know very well, suddenly out of nowhere invited me to visit him in Toronto. I rode the train to TO by myself (very cool, I liked the independence) then met up with Rick who took me to his downtown condo. It was very nice--much nicer than any place I'd ever stayed in before.

I remember odd things about this visit. Like the special drain cover he had in the shower to catch loose hair. Odd, eh?

The main reason Rick had me come was because he wanted to take me to see the Tutankhamen Exhibit that had come to the big museum there (was it the Royal Ontario Museum, Rick?)

I distinctly remember standing across the street from the museum in the lights of a city evening. The Museum was bright and exciting looking and I felt ... so ... special.

I remember the exhibit in great detail, but I think the really special thing was that Rick wanted to share it with me. Rick has always been an enigma to me, but he stands out in my memory with these big, tender things that make my heart swell with love for him. Like the time when I was a very little girl and he took me downtown to see the Santa Clause parade--he sat me on his shoulders for the whole time so I could see. It was the best parade ever.

I felt the exact same way at the Exhibit ... like I was on top of the world and Rick had put me there.