Our New Pet, Wally

We have a new pet in our household! Don't tell our landlord, because that is strictly not okay with him. But considering Wally would live here, regardless, I figure we can skip the permission. It's kind of an accident that he ended up as our pet. It seems that when we neglected to clean our basement playroom for awhile, he found his way into a toy bin. The first time each of the girls saw him, he sent them running upstairs in fits of screaming, refusing to return to the basement until he was gone. I saw him downstairs, but I find him particularly disgusting, so I decided to just ignore him and he'd get himself free--or killed. 4 days later, he's still there. I guess that the inside of the bin is slippery enough that he can't get out, and that he's resiliant enough to not need food. Imagine my surprise when I got home from church yesterday, to hear my kids talk about their pet and wanting to do a search to see what kind of food he needs to survive. The first thing this morning, my kids wanted to go say "good morning" to Wally, and I saw that they have now decorated his bin with a toilet paper house and other play items for him. Anyway, I thought you might want to see Wally:

This really brings to mind that quote

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

UGH!

Isn't it Ironic?

Hooray! Our state passed the smoke-free bill, and the Governor is expected to sign it into law. Only problem? They changed it so that it will not go into effect until July 2010! Why the delay??

And since my husband's contract is up in June 2010, if we move, it will be before we can even enjoy the sweet taste of success (or unadulterated food at our favorite restaurants). I've got to admit that Alanis Morissette's song has been going through my head all day long. Okay, I guess this isn't all about me, so congrats to the rest of you folks. Better late than never--right?

It's Always a Good Day to Lobby at the State Capitol--Holding our Breath for Smoke-Free Air

Our state is debating a Statewide Smoke-Free Workplaces bill. And, okay, I didn't actually speak at the Assembly Public Hearing this morning. My sister and I were there mostly to show support for the issue and to become more familiar with how the whole process works. It was nice to see the room so full of supporters of this bill. It made me so grateful to live in a country where everyone has the freedom to share their thoughts and to state their opinion. Obviously I don't agree with everything everyone said, but there were some very valid points made on both sides of the issue.

My take: Our state is facing one of the most important public health issues of our day--and I'm not referring to swine flu. The fact of the matter is that smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death. According to our state's Department of Public Health, over 8,000 people die in our state each year due to tobacco-related causes. We pay over $3 BILLION ANNUALLY in our state in tobacco-related health-care and lost productivity.

Our state is a wonderful place to live, in so many ways. Excellent education, beautiful, and most importantly, WONDERFUL people! But I am not the only who's commented that upon moving here we about died when we went into a restaurant and smoking was still allowed! It felt like I had walked back into a 3rd world country!

One acquaintance mentioned that it should be the business's decision--that government had too much control already. I have to agree that there has been more government intervention lately than I care to see. But this is not a liberal or conservative issue. This is a Public Health Issue. People DIE because of this. And fine, if people want to smoke in their own personal space, I think that is a dumb choice, but it's their choice. What is NOT okay is for innocent people to have to breathe those toxins.

It makes sense for all workers to be protected from unwanted second-hand smoke and to be able to enjoy a long healthy life. If people work in the hospitality sector, especially in today's economic climate, people should not have to choose between food on the table today and good health in the future. Additionally, most workers in the restaurant/entertainment/

hospitality industry cannot afford good health insurance. We all want to lower the cost of healthcare, yet taxpayers are often helping to foot the bill for those whose health has been compromised through smoke exposure.

Interesting Notes from the Hearing:

A young woman spoke of being diagnosed with lung cancer at age 30. Although she never smoked a day in her life, she spent 20 years living with 2 parents who smoked, and another 10 being careless about breathing in second-hand smoke of friends. She and her physician attribute her cancer to second-hand smoke. She spoke about her difficult cancer treatment with 2 young children, and a husband struggling to support her financially and medically.

A tavern owner, unaffiliated with the Tavern League and siding against them in this debate, amused us all by looking around the room and asking where were the 5,000 tavern owners who were concerned about losing their livelihood, and suggesting that if the only thing a bar has going for it is the fact people can smoke there, that they ought to get into a different business anyway. I can't convey nearly as well his entertainment value, but he was great. The room was filled with smiles and laughter, except for a grisly woman sitting near us who slumped in her seat, scowled at everyone and yelled, "Shut up!" Not a happy looking tavern-owner. But at least the baliff didn't hear her, otherwise her day might have gotten even worse.

One young dude owned a huka bar (however you spell it--some kind of special pipe-smoking place), and he was worried about being put out of business because 70% of his business is selling and allowing people to smoke tobacco in his "cool" pipes. He sells softdrinks, but no other food or alcohol item. He was asking for a special exemption. Granted, I don't agree with his line of work. But I can see his point. Smoking IS legal. And I guess anyone who is going into a tobacco-based establishment is going to be accepting of tobacco smoke. I agree, he should have an exemption.

**The latest update I saw, as of 5 hours ago, looks like there have been some serious discussions and some compromises, and I'm very hopeful that it will pass. At this point, taverns will have over a year to comply. Restaurants and other establishments will make the transition 90 days from the bill becoming law. Tobacco stores and bars would be exempt. I think this is all great! I would be super happy with these compromises!! I really hope it passes next week!

Fireproof--2% Cheesy, 98% Great

Here's an excellent movie to watch with your spouse on your next date-night! Let me know what you think. (Oh, and you might need a few tissues.)

My Neighbor is One Foxy Mama!

It was so cool, as we were driving home from church on Easter, to see a gorgeous red fox sitting on top of his den. This is just up the street from our house, in perfect view of a main road. I knew that he lived near us; I'd seen him in the distance one early morning a few years ago. The den is so camouflaged though, that even though I pass it multiple times a day, I couldn't pick it out consistently before that Sunday.

Then, a few days later, I saw not only my fox, but also 5 or 6 kits as well! Tumbling and rolling and wrestling, with MAMA fox standing guard. What a celebration of spring! So I've been stalking my fox, keeping my camera in the car in hopes of catching them all in photo. But that mama fox is a good, protective mama. The one time I saw her and a kit out, she saw me stop across the road and hid the kit behind her, before shooing it quickly into the den. She just stared at me, moved farther from the den, and then eventually ran off, I assume to lead me away from her kits. So I'm sorry I don't have the perfect picture of them all scampering about, but here's the gorgeous mama fox, and if you look closely, maybe you can see the tail of the kit behind her tail.

Hooters

Well, the local P&S is carrying in their magazine section, not only our lovely SI Swimsuit edition (right on eye-level of children), but also a new mag aptly titled "Hooters". I'm sure your imagination is right on the mark. And this month's Vanity Fair, in all it's nudey glory, was right in the check-out lane. ARGH!!

On the up side, I left a note for the manager, with my name and phone number, and he called back. He spoke to my husband and said that they will speak to the magazine rep about a more family-friendly arrangement of the mags they carry. I'm glad he spoke to my husband because it gave T a chance to say, as a grown male, that even adults don't want to see those things.

So, if you shop at my local P&S, will you do me a favor? If the mags are still out, will you also please make a comment to the manager? And if you don't see them, will you give them a big thank you? I think that will help keep things cleaner in the future. Thanks for your help, friends!

Mustache Monday

So, T was in North Carolina for 7 days with some of his buddies from work. Besides the fact that we at home survived thanks only to the help of my sister--what with a trip to Urgent Care and whatnot--the most memorable feature of this trip was the souvenier my husband brought home with him.
Facial Hair.

All of T's workfriends decided not to shave while they were gone, so that they could all show up at work together for Mustache Monday. This is definitely a new look for T. I can go for a little scruff, and I guess it added a little excitement to our welcome home smootcheroo session since I had to try to kiss him without getting whiskerburn.

So Monday morning came, and all the scruff came off except for the Mexican mustache. I meant to get a picture of that, but unfortunately I had some kind of 24-hour killer bug, so I was out for the count. Actually, one of T's workfriends suggested that I had gotten the swine flu from T's Mexican mustache. Maybe. The mustache looked pretty lethal.

As T & I discussed our different hair situations, I was lamenting to him that Couscous had recently said, "Wow, mommy! You have such pretty sparkly silver highlights!"

He held up our resident scalped doll lying around

and said, "It sure beats the alternative."

Spring Break!!

Life is just so good!

T & I finished our last ballroom dance class last Friday. It is so much fun to dance with my husband!! Mission accomplished! He can lead, I can follow, and we have a blast. We thought that we were dancing as well as the other couples in our class, but then we found out they had taken the Beginner's level 3 times. So as we were leaving and giving our thanks to Lou and Dorothy, I asked if we had passed--if we could move on to the intermediate class next time. Dorothy looked at us and said, "You? Oh, absolutely!" Yay!! Just call us Ginger and Fred! We finished up our evening together watching "Twilight". I saw it in the theater when some girlfriends, but I liked it more this time. I think part of it was because I wasn't judging it against the book, like I did in the theater--I already knew what I was getting this time around, so I could enjoy it for itself. But second of all, it was nice watching it with T. He had promised in advance not to laugh at it. And he admitted to liking it! He even wants to read the book!

We pulled some strings this year and the Easter Bunny agreed to come on Saturday morning instead. The kids woke up to minimal candy in their baskets and a note saying that most of the eggs he hid for us at our cousins. We had such a fun time with the Easter egg hunt at their house; we stayed and played some games, and really enjoyed ourselves on Saturday. That left Sunday with the opportunity to be so much more focused on the true meaning of Easter. We had a wonderful meeting at Church, and that afternoon we had a powerful discussion about Christ's Atonement and Resurrection. I kept getting moved to tears, although that's not too uncommon for me. (My kids ask me to read the children's Friend magazine and keep glancing at me whenever I pause, just see how far I can get into the story before I start tearing up.) We closed out our glorious Easter by having family, friends, and the missionaries over for Easter dinner.

And today my kids and I kicked off Spring Break week by taking a trip around the world. We packed a lunch and went to the museum. We visited South and Central America, Africa, Asia & the Pacific Islands, Autstralia, and even the Artic. Did you know that Pacific Islanders used shark teeth to make their spears? I didn't. After our world travels we enjoyed the butterflies and dinosaurs. Then, tonight, to celebrate the accomlishment of Avandra having finished the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ in her personal reading, we went out to the fun pizza/entertainment place tonight. Thanks to the economic downturn, prices are lower and with coupon in hand we had ourselves a mighty fun time for a very resonable price!

Hope you all had a wonderfully meaningful Easter, and are enjoying life also!

Addictions & 8 Things...

Hello. My name is Henrietta Hoopenhollar and I am addicted to food.

That's how I feel like I should start this blog post after my lame-o commitment to healthy eating. Actually, my scale tells me my self-restraint has paid 5 lbs in dividends--which puts me at the same weight as when I got married. However, I think my scale is simply error-prone because I've blown off my non-diet for the last 10 days. Truly, I 've been naughty. You don't even want to know how many snickerdoodles I've eaten in the last 2 days --and yes, Megan, I hold you personally responsible for giving me your delicious recipe when I asked you for it! :)

But instead of giving food any more blog space, I guess facebook is going well. I've been enjoying the reconnections, and one of them, (Hi Mami Jo!) has tagged me from her blog. I have never, ever responded to tags, but this time I think I will.

8 Things I did Yesterday:
1. gave my younger kids an emergency bath
2. drove my older daughter to school when she missed the bus, because she was reading instead of getting ready for school, while I was giving the younger kids a bath
3. didn't get mad at my daughter, but later we discussed some logical consequences
4. went to playgroup
5. sewed and otherwise problem-solved through my mending pile
6. prepared letters to Pres. Barack Obama for the LIFE Envelope Project (formerly the Red Envelope Project), to affirm the Right to Life
7. sighed with disappointment when the Vermont legislature affirmed the court decision and legalized same-sex marriage--right on the tail of Iowa--Ouch!
8. laughed through Bryan Kest's power yoga with my sister. My legs and shoulders still feel it though so it must have been successful. Namasdai everybody!

8 Favorite TV Shows:

Easy. I don't watch TV. Don't even own one. And everytime we stay with people who do watch TV, we easily recommit to no TV. But I have my own

3 Favorite Time Wasters (I was supposed to do 8, but I guess I lack diversity at how I waste my time):
1. Spending time on the internet
2. Wasteful reading
3. Trying to guess who will receive the new callings with the ward boundary changes. I'm hopelessly bad. Like the time I KNEW who was going to be the new primary president. I was so confident I even told my sister. Imagine my surprise when on Sunday they asked my sister to stand as the new primary president!


8 Wishes (+ 2 to grow an inch):
1. That people wouldn't litter
2. That people wouldn't drive drunk
3. That I could have guarantees that my children will turn out great
4. That my children wouldn't get their worst behaviors from their mother
5. That I had more self-mastery
6. That I could live somewhere that stays between 60-85 degrees, and is sunny 300 days a year, but still green
7. That if I can't get perfect weather, then could I at least have a great big Southern-facing window?
8. That I could stay grounded in faith and activism, while laughing way more often, not taking myself too seriously, and living more spontaneously.
9. That I could write a novel. I tried once, but before I got through the first page my main character told me that my dialogue sucked. A harsh term, but it was true.
10. My true fantasy wish??? That I was flying at top speed in my new blue BMW Z4 convertible, zipping around the curves of Provo Canyon, looking a whole lot like Audrey Hepburn with my hair up, sunglasses on, and driving gloves. There you go guys. That is truly, honestly me.

Contemplating Calories

You know, a true friend is someone who can tell you what you need to hear in a way that is completely unoffensive. I knew Emily and Becky were true friends when, while talking about their exercise routines, I mentioned that my 4 months of YMCA membership haven't exactly made me the svelte gal I once was, and they kindly hinted that one does have to monitor one's food intake.

Huh. What a concept.

I've been eating as if I was still 17 (or 30, for that matter). But somewhere between ages 32-34 my metabolism started changing, and, my friends, I don't think it's ever coming back.

(Now for those of you who don't see me regularly, it's not like I've gained a ton of weight lately. I'm 10 pounds less than my post-marriage heaviest, but also 10 pounds more than I was post-Couscous. And there has definitely been some continental drift going on, if you get my drift.)

So I tried a new experiment. I didn't want to call it a "diet" because that sounds too restrictive. But I started counting calories. Wow. It's kind of embarrassing how much thoughtless food I was putting in my mouth. So I started keeping track of my calories and fiber I was eating every day. (I took off 4 calories for every gram of fiber I ate. Don't ask for my scientific rationale.) But whether I was calling it a diet or not, those first 3 days were killer. I was hungry all the time. I did start getting into the groove of things though, and I decided to weigh myself once a week at the same time and just watch all of my self-restraint pay off.

I have been finding dinners hard (my recipes don't always give a calorie count), so I stopped counting those calories, and just am really careful during the day, and eat smaller dinner portions than usual. I did cheat for my son's birthday celebration a week ago Sunday, and I did go out for Hibachi last Saturday night without any self-restraint. So maybe those are the reasons, but when I weighed myself Sunday morning (yesterday), instead of seeing the expected results, I had gained 2 pounds!! That just made me so mad that when they passed around Ghirardelli Pecan Pie Chocolate Squares in RS that day, I took one and ate it with a sense of rebellion.

Help! What's going on? True friends, I really need some advice, help, motivation, whatever, because I'm about ready to post this and grab some ice cream! If my self-restraint isn't paying dividends, I may as well enjoy life--and food--passionately. Help!

Move Over, Martha!

Or Rachel, Paula, Barefoot Kitchen Contessa, or whoever is the latest cooking guru! I am so proud of my own little accomplishment! It's nothing professional, I know, but for me, it's amazing.
I got most of the ideas from http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/train-birthday-cake.html. I used mini-loaf pans for the cars. For the engine I cut down 2 loaves, added a TP tube covered in plastic wrap, and a frosted marshmallow. (If I did it again I would use something bigger than that tube, but smaller than the cans I could find.) The track is made of licorice and KitKats. Crushed grahams for the sawdust and dyed coconut for the grass. I just decided to leave the chocolate cake showing as coal in the coal car. And although my son thought the caboose was a house at first, he was open to my suggestion that it be a caboose :) Happy 2nd Birthday Little Guy!! Glad you loved it. It was fun making it for you.

(I Muffed the Poll--Re-vote Please?) Facebook 101 Needed

Hi Friends. I just jumped into the world of Facebook, but I have a lot of questions. Since I saw many of you there, maybe you can help me out.

1. What's the point of it? In my limited experience of 12 hours on, I have found 2 benefits.

First, I was able to connect with people that I haven't seen for along time--even grade school aquaintances and people I taught in the MTC. And there is something nice about being able to say, "Hey! In this big old world I still remember you and you still remember me. What's up?" But do relationships ever grow? Or is it just like signing high school yearbooks everyday?

Second, speaking of high school, it was very eye-opening to go through my high school class profiles. Wow! As far as I can tell, there are three groups: those who look like supermodels, those who look greyer/balder/chubbier, and those who chose very discreet pictures so that you can't see them clearly. After going through every picture file, it seems my supermodel ones have disappeared and the only ones I can find would put me in the greyer/balder/chubbier category. (Is it any wonder that all the ads on my facebook page are about anti-aging strategies?) So can I have your help? Here are three pictures. Will you please vote on the sidebar for which one would best represent me on my facebook profile?

Picture A (which, for those of you who asked, also shows my new haircut & Marci, I've cropped all I can):

Picture B (cropped from the first version)

Picture C

Picture D (thanks for the ideas, Jen)

2. The second question I have is about your philosophy in adding friends. Do you add every positive acquaintance? What about second cousins twice removed? Are you obligated to add family who asks to be added? Should you send a friend invite to people you had crushes on in high school, even though you are perfectly and happily married (yes, ballroom dancing is back on track)? And theoretically speaking, does it really matter if you have 100 "friends" on facebook, but you wouldn't call any of them if you were having a bad day and needed to talk?

So what is Facebook? A great social networking tool? or a newer, better, trendier way to waste time?

stupid, stupid, stupid

I am so stupid. Yesterday I started the book Sarah and AnnaMarie recommended--Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I took it to the Y and started it while exercising. Wow. I was rightfully nervous about the premise (think a TV reality show like Survivor, only contestants aren't voted off, and the winner is the last one alive). But I got sucked into the story. I remember crying at some point, something about the love of the girl and her sister, which I'm sure looked ridiculous while I was on the eliptical machine. Anyway, I got home and put the book away for later. "Later" was the second my last child was in bed. I picked the book up at 8:30pm, and I honestly didn't come up for air until 11:30pm. I had no idea time was passing so quickly. I made the mistake of not giving myself a time limit, and jumped back into the book. Then it was 12:30am. I know that my kids wake at 6:30am. I know that the book will still be there when I wake up. But I'm so close to the end and I just want to know how 2 things get resolved. And guess how I'm rewarded at 1:20am? With a transitional moment and "The End of Book One" on the final page!!! Ah!! When is the sequal coming out?? I've got to know what happens! Surely Katniss will find a way to lead a rebellion against the inhumanity of the Capitol! And whatever will happen when she reunites with Gale? Did the mockingbird pin have any unknown significance? This is killing me! And yes, there was violence in it. I could never watch this story on-screen. But it didn't seem to go overboard. But I still wouldn't say it qualifies for "Wholesome and Uplifting", which are the criteria for books we read in Relief Society Book Group. I'd put it more as "Exciting and Suspenseful". But I am just dying with exhaustion as I try extra hard not to take out my stupidity on my kids in grumpiness.



You know, I know I haven't posted for awhile, and it's been a busy month, so if you want to know what's going on, please read the next post.

New News

February has been a busy, short month. Here's what's new with us:

1. T & I are taking a ballroom dance class together once a week. I really want us to learn to dance well together because, well, I've danced with good dancers and T just isn't one of them. I mean, he can do a killer disco, but partner dancing...? Not so much. I also hoped that our taking the class would bring us closer together and not just make me frustrated. Pride goes before the fall once again, I guess. On the first day of class I was doing my best to recall what I had learned in my BYU social and ballroom dance classes years ago. I guess I was getting a little mixed up because the first words of feedback our 70-year old Italian dance teacher gave was to me: "You are being way too bouncy. The foxtrot is supposed to be smooth and graceful." oh. maybe I wasn't the best dancer of the two of us. So that knocked me down a few notches to where I was more willing to be a team in learning together. We had a good time the first time, and the second time. We missed the third time, and the fourth time was miserable. I don't know if T was stressed because we had missed a week of instruction, or if I was being too lazy, but T started being critical of MY dancing. Excuse me? I wasn't pointing out his weaknesses, and he wasn't perfect either! The dance teacher came to help us and when I danced with the teacher I always ended up in the right spot at the right time. So it couldn't have been all me--that's all I'm saying. Anyway, wish us luck because we still have 5 more weeks to go and I don't want this to be what finally sends us into unhappy marriage-land. We probably just need to actually practice at home in between classes. That would do us a world of good.

2. We went to Texas! Sunshine, cousins! It was a wonderful time. The temperature was 30-50 degrees warmer than we are used to here. Glorious! The kids had the best time with their cousins and our family was so hospitable. I was the lamest guest I'm sure because I spent the time either tired, sleeping, reading, or feeling embarrassed that my kids are so noisy and messy! Their kids are perfect--or close to it anyway. And I came back more motivated to keep my house tidier. They were amazing. And Melissa, if you are reading this, your RS lesson was awesome. (It's STILL totally winter here. No hint of spring at all!! But Couscous finally just had enough, pulled out her bike and rode around with her snowpants and winter gear on. She did have a tough time navigating the icy patches on the sidewalk though.)

3. Haircut! Shorter than ever and I like it! It wasn't exactly intentional, but it's fun to try something new.

4. New and improved basement playroom! Thanks to our landlord, our playroom looks like a room and not just a storage area with carpet thrown on the floor. I didn't actually have to build it, but there was moving things around, and dealing with most of the toys being upstairs and messing it up.

5. Tried to do something about the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In January, about 30 people signed my letters to Walgreens and Barnes and Noble asking them to be proactive in keeping the covers out of sight of children. It's funny because I don't know what in-store result is. I haven't even been in those stores. I did such a good job of avoiding Walgreens after last year's incident, that I don't even think about going there anymore. I didn't hear back from B&N, and I got the same exact letter from Walgreen's this year as last, only from the corporate headquarters instead of the district offices. They say that they can't just focus attention on one magazine because it's hard to draw the line of appropriateness. I kind of understand what they are saying. In truth, most popular magazines have inappropriate pictures or words on the cover. How can they say no SI, but then carry other mags that are nearly as offensive? It really needs to be blanket policy, not just focusing on one mag. The other day I was thinking that one day, Avandra is going to stop looking at the delicious looking cupcakes on the front of cooking magazines and look at the mags I don't want her to see. And she's going to ask me, "Mom, what is an org*sm?" So I decided that if/when that happens, I will say, "That's a great question. I know just the person to answer it." We'll call over the store manager and I'll say, "My daughter has a question for you." I'll let Avandra ask it, and while the manager is still stunned I'll say, "You don't need to answer that question, but may I come visit with you tomorrow about how we can make this store a little more family-friendly?" I almost wish it would happen.

Best Books You've Read?

What are some of your all-time favorite books?

I'm needing to solidify the book choice for our March Relief Society Book Group. I've had a couple of recommendations that I'm going to browse through. Maybe you've heard of one and can give me some feedback. Maybe you know just the perfect book that you LOVE and want to share. Please tell me!!

I'm currently re-reading one of my all-time favorite books, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. This is my second time and I love it just as much (if not more!) than the first time I read it. How can Tolstoy be so observant and descriptive of real-life conflicting emotions? I love that his story is anything but cliche. It's a tad long, and viewed by some as one of those "depressing Russian novels", both qualities that keep it from being an A-List book for our particular group of women.

We want to keep things G- or PG- rated, without always being in the Young Adult genre. Here are the books that have been brought to my attention:

* A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
*The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
*America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines by Gail Collins
*Christy by Catherine Marshall
*Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
*The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Denko

Thanks for any feedback and recommendations!

Laughing At My Own Funeral

On Sunday I had a bit of luck. I have often thought what a bummer it is that we can't be at our own funerals to hear all the wonderful words of kindness people were thinking while we were alive. Now I know what it feels like and it really made me laugh!

I was asked to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday about the power and blessings of Primary (the Children's Program at Church). I was serving in that area until recently, so I guess it was time to share my "words of wisdom" of what I've learned. What I really learned is in the sidebar if you want to check it out, but it didn't seem too appropriate for church, so I came up with something else to share over the pulpit.

I introduced my talk by saying that I never liked babysitting, that I was pleasantly surprised to find maternal feelings when I gave birth, that I'm not patient, and no one's ever mistaken me for being "sweet", hence my surprise at being asked to serve in Primary. Well I don't think anyone got past that point of my talk. I didn't realize that when I said "sweet" (meaning, syrupy sticky, cutesy with children), other people heard "sweet" (meaning a nice person).

I first recognized my gaffe when an older couple came up to T & I and said, "You are two of the sweetest parents I've ever seen. We just love watching you with your kids." I kept waching Avandra, just waiting for her to jump in and clarify THAT misconception. She must not have been listening because she didn't say anything. A little embarrassed, I walked my kids to their classes. Then a young mother came up to me with tears in her eyes and a big hug, "I can't believe you don't think you are sweet! I think you are one of the sweetest people I know!" Now I was really embarrassed --completely cognizant that most of my fellow church-goers were convinced I have no self-esteem whatsoever!

Although two people made comments that showed they understood my meaning of "sweet", I also got accused (in a friendly sort of way) of lying over the pulpit. And remember I said that no one had ever mistaken me for being sweet? (T told me later that people must have taken that on as a personal challenge.) I think the funniest response was when a kind-hearted man said, "H, I just want you to know that you are often mistaken for being sweet." And then realizing his statement had come out completely wrong, he added, "You are a favorite among our family."

So thank you all for your kind thoughts. I feel very, very loved. And to clear the misunderstanding, I feel pretty fine about myself so don't you worry. I just don't want to hear at my funeral, "She was such a sweet girl, and she never even knew it."

P.S. And if you actually want a hint at what my talk was really on? The power is in the personal experience each child has as they come to Jesus (see 3 Nephi 11:14-15) and the blessing of primary is found in Isaiah 54:13-- "All they children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the PEACE of thy children."

Nominations Requested Please!

Hi Friends--

As some of you know, we are getting to the point in our lives where (finally) we need to make a decision about where we want to plant our family permanently. But where? T & I have talked about this for last 9 1/2 years of our marriage, and since we didn't know, we just shoved it off to the back burner for later. Now is later! YIKES! And since we still don't know where to be, I am requesting nominations of the best place you've ever lived or experienced.

Here is my very optimistic wish-list, in order of importance, but please feel free to nominate a place that doesn't meet all my criteria, since I know it's impossible anyway.

1. A great place to raise a family. If I could have a guarantee that wherever we went would be the best chance for my children to grow up safely and make good choices, I would move there in a heartbeat, regardless of the situation.

2. We want to live somewhat near family. Since we have family pretty much across the nation, that shouldn't be too hard.

3. Weather needs to be decent. Since it's below zero right now for me and everyone at playgroup today was talking about Seasonally Affective Disorder (winter depression) and what treatments work for them, I would like to put in a request for "sunny, but not too hot or humid". Is there a place where it is comfortable to be outside 8 or 9 months a year? Terms such as "wind chill" and "heat index" are not my friends.

4. Good community. I would love to live where people are good, solid, down-to-earth, faithful people, though not necessarily of my same faith. I think my current community fits that description well. I would like to be around people who think but aren't intellectually proud. I also really hope to avoid the consumerist competitive "keep up with the Jones'" attitude so prevalent in our society.

5. City/Country accessibility. T has been thinking more about living out in the boonies, which is funny since he's never lived there himself. As he says, "I keep meeting all these people who were raised away from cities and are still normal." I personally like the cultural aspect of cities, with the space and perspective of countryside. Is it possible to have both?

6. Not too much traffic or in a high-development zone.

What do you say? Where's the best place to be? Or only slightly less helpful, where do we want to avoid? I really appreciate your help!