Masters National Championships

Mark and I went on a whirlwind trip to Bend, Oregon so he could compete in his first ever National Championship road race. He debated for days whether or not we should even go. He caught a virus and was not feeling very good. He would have good and bad days but was not quite up to par. The weather forecast also predicted rain the morning of the race - and with the race beginning at 8:00 am at the Mt. Bachelor Ski resort with a 15 mile descent... it sounded miserable. 

To complicate things the semester at BYU started this week. Mark had to teach an orientation Tuesday morning and then teach his first day of class Friday morning - 8:00am. Bend, Oregon is about 650 miles away. Monday he felt good and it looked like the weather might cooperate so we left Tuesday around 2:00 after orientation and a last minute lunch with Christian and Robbie (who was in town). We drove half way Tuesday and arrived in Bend on Wednesday. Mark was not feeling good on Wednesday but it looked like the weather would be good for his race, with the storm arriving Thursday afternoon. 

Thursday morning was clear and cool.

After almost freezing on the downhill at the beginning, Mark was able to get into a four man break.

(look for "Volo" on Mark's shoulder and the red on his shorts)

 They were able to hold off the pack (about 70 riders) for the rest of the race. 

 At one point Brendan Sullivan (who eventually won) broke away from the lead group and Mark went with him. As soon as there was some distance between them and the group, Brendan started attacking Mark, slowing way down and then surging ahead. Mark stayed with him for a few minutes of this and then just dropped back to the rest of the lead group exhausted. Two riders from the main pack bridged up to the lead group while Mark was ahead. 

 Mark was pleased to finish 5th overall.

It was fun to see Mark's brother, Dave, win the 55-59 National Championship!

Thirty minutes after the race was over we packed up and headed back to the hotel, 

showered and drove 11 hours home.

Next year the race is in Ogden.

YES!

all pictures taken from usa cycling

End of a Era

I dropped Jennifer off at Heritage Halls today.

We have been making quick trips over to her dorm room to drop stuff off for two days now but today I came home without her. I felt like crying in the car but it seemed silly. I am so excited for her - a new phase of life.

I remember so clearly the day my dad dropped me off at Heritage Halls. I was in Young Hall. Excited and very nervous. We unloaded my stuff. Stood there awkwardly for a moment (as I subdued the urge to grab my suitcase and go home with him), we hugged and he was gone. I kind of wanted to cry - I could have too because none of my roommates were there - but I unpacked instead. My home was over 700 miles away and I knew no one. Soon enough, my roommates were there and it was like a big slumber party as we got to know each other over the next few days. Then the learning began in earnest - classroom learning but more importantly - real life learning.

Jennifer is not even close to the first one I have dropped off at Heritage Halls. Every time it has meant a change in our family. New dynamics, sometimes a change of bedrooms for those left at home. I have mourned a little at the end of my "active mothering phase" for each child, but today was different. I came home to a silent empty home. (Christian will move out in two days but he was at work.) I am now the mother of all adult children. My children no longer need me in the same way they used to. They do not need me to pack lunches, cook their dinners or remind them of things. No more piano recitals, meetings with school counselors or Scout/YW evenings. Do I celebrate or cry? Both I think.

Tonight, I miss my children; I miss my grandchildren and the house and my heart seem empty. I wonder and hope that I have taught them what they need to be successful in life - but I can still teach, mentor and love them, it's just different.

On Friday my life will go back to what it was like some thirty years ago. Just me and my best friend - only it will be different. Our life is so much fuller and richer - closely tied and bound together in an ever growing circle of amazing friends that we also call our children; our grandchildren are a whole new generation who are in need of "active grandmothering" even if it is done by long distance.

Tonight my feelings are tender, but tomorrow the sun will rise on a beautiful new day. New opportunities and decisions will present themselves, and I will try to be ready.

There are some distinct advantages to just being the two of us again - it will be like falling in love all over again.

53 years young

This man has blessed my life and the lives of so many...

A wonderful husband, father and grandfather,

great cyclist, professor and servant of the Lord. 

He has incredible integrity, strength, kindness

and just gets better every year.

So glad you were born 53 years ago.

So glad you're mine for eternity.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

x

Hey Everyone!

Hey everyone!

Well a story from last week that I really wanted to tell, but i didnt have time. Last week, we went and visited Gloria with a member named Adrian.It was amazing. Gloria has been taking the lessons for almost a year, and she has made a lot of progress in that time. My companion  has been here for 7 months and has been working with her all that time. When he got here she couldn't understand the Book of Mormon and wasn't really receptive. She was going to kick the Elders out, but had a dream that the Elders were at her door, and someone, who she couldnt see, but could hear, said "Sister, listen to these guys, somthing amazing is going to happen". So she let them keep on coming back. Since then she has read all of the Book of Mormon, she had finished it the last week. Adrian went with us to visit her and she was really shut down to baptism. As we talked with her, she said she knows it is true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but she felt that her baptism as a child in the catholic church was still valid, "one faith one lord one baptism" was what she said. She feels like all baptisms were the same. We talked to her about authority, Moroni 7: 7-10 where it talks about child baptism, and all sorts of things, but it just didnt seem to get through that her baptism wasn't valid. We had talked with her about it a million times before.. and so when Adrian heard her reaction about baptism, I think it got him going. We had a lesson where the spirit was amazingly strong, and we went thorough and got rid of all of her doubts, and by the end she accepted that her baptism was invalid, and that the church was true, and everything she needs! Ahhh but she is still scared, because she has been catholic all her life, and all her family is catholic, and she doesnt want to change religions, unless she is absoluetly sure. She just wants something that she understands as an answer that this is definitely where she needs to be. We shared Alma 32 the last time, and we are working with her, we are hoping that it will be this saturday, and praying, we will see.

The thing I wanted to share from that experience, was at one point, gloria was talking about how she has had some really hard things in her life, and she has a really hard time forgiving people.  She doesn't want to have that in her heart when she gets baptized. When she was talking about that, I remembered an experience I had with dad and Rob, that illustrated the power of the atonement and forgiveness amazingly in my life and I knew I had to share it with her, and I want to share it with you guys now. I am sure you all remember that I hit a tree with Robs car while he was on his mission .. something i will always regret, and will be something I can't forget. So bueno, Robbie returned from his mission, and with the amazing heart that he has, forgave me, and did all that he could to forgive me completely, but every time he drove, and something squeaked or soemthing went wrong with the car, it was because I messed up his car. There was no way he could just forget, and so I was in a position where there was no way way I could pay the debt, and erase my sin. I was stuck  and it was ruining our relationship. We both were unhappy, and without a solution. So one day, dad, stepped in, after seeing the deepening hole in our friendship, and sat us both down, and asked Rob, what would make this go away so we never have to remember. After some thinking and talking, we came to the conclusion that if we helped Rob get a different car, then he would be able to move on. We could go on working on our friendship, and I could be eleviated from my guilt. There was no way I could pay the money necessary to help  Rob buy a new car, so dad offered to help. He asked me how much I could pay and offered to make up the difference. In this Rob and I were both freed from our burdens. Every time I tell this story I tear up, because I think of my tiny little mortal situation here with a car and a debt I owed, and the guilt and shame i felt from that. And then the joy and peace, and gratefulness I felt to dad, when i was freed from my burden. When I think of all of our situations with our sins, somehting we could never pay on our own, but the Savior stepped in and offered to pay the price, at great cost to himself. I am amazed at the amazing unimaginable gift of the atonement, and I am especially greatful for the wonderful father I have. While he is not perfect, he knows how to show his son, what the savior would do, if we were in his shoes. Words can not express my love and gratitude for my earthy family, and most definitely not for our brother Jesus Christ, who has done so much, and asks so little.

I am so greatful for each of you, and your examples to me. I know our family is not perfect, and there is no reason in particular I am saying this, but I really feel, that at times our family needs to look at one another, in the way Christ would see them, and not as the world, or Satan would have us see. I love each and every one of you with all my heart. I know with all my heart that Jesus is the Christ, and only through him, and his church can we be saved. I am so greatful to share that with the people here, at times my language is a barrier, but I know that if I try my hardest the Lord will make up the difference, that I can not. Love you all.

Gonzalo is still doing well, we also had a lesson with his father Filipe, and set a baptismal date. Christina had to cancel our appointment, and so we haven't had a lesson with her. We had a lesson with Martin, but he was really upset about his kids being loud and not being able to talk to us with his full attention. I am still not sure how that lesson went, I think it will be good, and we will be going back asap. This week we found a lady named Maria, who I really feel has some sincere desires, hopefully we can do all we can to be the instruments in the Lords hands to help her into the path.

Family I am doing great, my health is great, if you could please pray for me, and specifically pray that i will have the courage, and clear mind to do all I need to to be obedient and diligent, I would love it! Sorry this is soo long, hopefully it is helpful for someone. love you all! pray for all of you every night!

until next week,
Elder Zimbelman

Getting better

Tuesday was a little rough for Mark, and I was a little anxious in the morning.

He slept and rested and I taught Kindermusik and we both felt pretty good by afternoon

Wednesday Mark rested well, napping in the morning an afternoon.

Again, I taught Kindermusik, checking on him between classes.

It was a beautiful day and in the afternoon we went for a walk around the park

and then around the block, stopping to talk and visit as we went. All in all he was up and about for probably two hours or more. Then, just for fun, and because he still felt pretty good, Jennifer drove him to the High School for some parent teacher conferences. He was tempted to go meet our new missionaries at the MTC but chose not to. Mark was tired and Aaron was arriving late that night. He would be staying with us while he attended a research conference for former Accounting students who are now in PhD programs. We were up late, too late.

Thursday morning was rough for a number of reasons: up late, rough night, and it's the third day since the crash. Turns out the doctors knew what they were talking about... the pain is worse the third day. Took it easy in the morning, good nap in the afternoon and by evening he was feeling pretty good.

Friday he was up and showered early enough to go with Aaron to the meetings at the conference. He is doing really well but as they drove away I began to feel anxious. This is the first time he's been out of the house and away from me since the accident. What if he passes out, what if he over does it...he's a big boy, and Aaron's there to keep an eye on him. He'll be OK. But I still felt anxious.

Then I started to think about him riding his bike again - not that it will be in the next week - but I know that at one point he will jump on that bike again and ride away just at he did Monday - and as he has done thousands of times. I know there are risks involved, there are risks no matter where we are or what we are doing. But right now the reality that I may loose him someday is pressing on my mind. I begin to wonder when, how will it happen? Will it begin like the call I received Monday night...only what I find when I arrive at the hospital will be different...?

I suppose this has always been the case. Really it's the same when he goes to work or I go the gym or grocery store. There are no guarantees in this life. So how to I but this fear behind me?

I know that he and I are sealed forever. While we will most likely be separated in this life at some point I know it will be a temporary separation - for this life only. And then, when we have both passed on we will be together forever, never to be apart again. I know that I'm not alone. I am surrounded by so many who love and support me and my family. 

Ultimately it comes to fear vs. faith. I need to remember to trust. Trust God. Trust that he will hear and answer my prayers and also trust that He knows not only what is best for me and for Mark but for all of God's children. I'm not saying God pulled some strings to cause the accident. We have our agency and sometimes we act in ways that hurt or injure others, God won't take away our agency. But we can repent and make it right through the atonement. And the atonement is also there to help and strengthen us through our pains, sorrows and challenges that come through our own weaknesses, through the mistakes of others or just come as part of the life experience.

And is all these trials we are never alone. That comforts me and helps me have faith. 

Chris warned me that I might feel this way

and helped me prepare for when these feelings came.

Thanks Chris... it helped me today.

De ja vu - well sort of

This is a long post.
It is more for me than for anyone else.
To help me process, to help me remember how blessed I was last night and to help me deal with all the feelings that are going through me right now.

And to answer the questions many people have asked.

Monday evening just past 6 Jenn and I were preparing for a friend who would be joining us for dinner. Our friend arrived a little early and Mark wasn't home from his bike ride yet... a little odd but I didn't think much about it. A few minutes later my phone rang. It was Timpanogos Hospital ER informing me that Mark had been in an accident and asked if I could come right down. She asked if I knew where the hospital was, I repeated back to her the nearest cross streets and we hung up. I relayed the message to Jenn and Danny, we turned off burners, put the meat in the fridge, our friend quickly left and we headed to the hospital.

The whole way there I was trying to recall the details of my conversation with the woman at the hospital and was mad that I didn't ask more question. He was on a back board. He was awake because he told them it was OK to call me - not in a coma, that's good. Jenn texted the kids while I drove to let them know what was going on and then offered a prayer.

When we arrived Mark was out of the room getting a CAT scan. A CAT scan... hmmm. I asked around to get more information. We found out that he was hit by a longboarder on the river trail and was unconscious for at least 10 minutes. I felt sick inside and angry.

Robbie and Cecily joined Jenn and I at the ER after a few minutes. Mark was soon wheeled back in awake and not in too much pain. He told us that he was almost home, riding past the parking lot by the bridge at 8th North and University. He slowed down as he approached this area because it was often crowded and kind of a dangerous area. He saw one long boarder come out of the parking area and then a few moments later another one shot out right in front of him. He saw Mark and jumped off his skate board. Mark tried to bunny hop the deserted board but didn't make it. He woke up 10 minutes later in the ambulance on his way to the hospital. His left side took the brunt of the impact cracking a rib and breaking his left radius near the elbow also bruising his hip and shoulder. He lost skin from his cheek, chin, both knees, assorted fingers and knuckles and has a scrape across his chest. They didn't discover the elbow was broken until they were helping him sit up and get into the wheelchair. He requested that they x-ray it and sure enough - a compression fracture.

When we finally got him home it was after 9:00pm. Mark hadn't had much to drink and nothing to eat since his bikeride. He sat up to the bar and was about to start eating when he told us he felt light headed, like he was going to pass out. I turned to get something more for him when Cecily said, "He IS going to pass out". Robbie stood on one side of him and I hurried to the other and just moments later he went limp. Cecily and Jenn could see all the color drain from him and he kind of twitched and began to sweat profusely. My shirt was wet where his head leaned against me. When he came to we got him something to drink and tried to get him talking when he passed out again. Cecily was very calm and suggested that we lay him on the ground and elevate his feet. I was told Jenn to get our neighbor to help lay Mark on the ground, I was afraid I would drop him while we were trying to move him. Mark came to again. Jenn came back in a few minutes, the neighbor she went to get was out of town but a different one was passing by and I'm really not sure how he ended up coming over but I'm glad he did. While we laid him on the floor I had Jenn call our good friend and Mark's doctor, Chris Wood. He used to live next door but lives in North Salt Lake. Cecily was awesome and calm, just what I needed.  I described what was going on to Chris and he gave me some instructions and things to watch for. We gave him some OJ and other liquids to get his blood sugar and volume up. At some point we called our faithful home teacher to come and help give him a blessing. As Mark ate and drank his color got better and he could carry on a conversation and not slur his words. We began to breathe a little easier watching the color return to his face and he began joking and talking. Chis called back a few minutes later to let me know he was on his way. Mark was given a beautiful blessing of healing and comfort by Robbie and the other bretheren. After a 20 minutes or so laying on the floor, Mark was looking pretty good and the men helped Mark up and into the chair in the living room. We put blankets on him and got more food into his system along with some pain medication. He seemed more like his old self more and more. Our wonderful neighbor headed home and our home teacher stayed a bit longer.

Before long Chris arrived and we looked at the CD of Mark's CAT scan and xrays. Chris examined Mark and didn't find any evidence of internal bleeding. Mark and I were so touched that he would drive all this way in the middle of the night to check on him. But he came for me too. He realized how scared I was and how overwhelming all this was for me and gave me instructions too along with a prescription for anxiety which I was reluctant to get filled but glad I did.

While in the ER Robbie took a picture of Mark and posted it on facebook. The calls, prayers and well wished rolled in. We were overwhelmed by the love and support we feel. In addition to getting this out of my head and in to some tangible form that I could deal with I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to those who were there for us in a second's notice. I feel so blessed. I'm sure the next few days will be a challenge but I know we are certainly not alone.

In over three decades of our married life it has been me that has given birth, had my appendix out, had other health challenges... including getting taken out by a longboarder. I can't remember a time when my wonderful husband has been the one lying there while I felt helpless. This is new and I don't like it. Tonight I feel exhaused, vunerable, and very very aware of how fragile life is. But I do not feel alone. I feel so loved, so supported and carried - and I'm not the one hurt. The efforts made today to support our family were such kind acts, so needed and given because others knew what we needed and were willing to drop what they were doing to help us. That was a whole huge group of tender mercies and love. Thank you! I am reminded each moment that God knows each of us personally and attends to our needs often through our friends and neighbors - the angels who surround us all the time.

I just hope...

...that when I'm 52

 ( way way down the road ;)

I'll be as awesome as you are today!

Happy Birthday!

I love you.

Looking Back

Twenty nine years = Five pregnancies, five children, three weddings, three missionaries, two broken legs, four sets of stitches in foreheads, one bike accident, one ambulance ride, one appendectomy and a few other surgeries, 5 cases of chicken pox and more cases of colds, flus, vomiting, carsickness and airsickness than I can count. Thousands of family dinners, lunches packed, gallons of milk, boxes of cereal, loads of laundry, floors swept and vacuumed, children tucked in, songs sung, kisses given and bandaids applied. Lots of family vacations, a few trips to Hawaii, church history trips individually with each child, a trip to London. Children away in Mexico, Romania, Germany, Brazil, and soon Argentina plus Mark gone for 2 weeks in Argentina too. Eight moves, three states, eight years of school, four BA degrees, one masters and 1 3/5 PhD's. Nine years with Mom in school. Three beautiful, fun, charming, adorable, heart-stealing grandchildren. Running, rappelling, climbing, hiking and exploring Southern Utah, tennis, aerobics, lots of biking including a few state championships, one Lotoja championship and hundreds of other bike race. Five children with drivers licenses, numerous cars, spiraling insurance rates, six cell phones on one plan.

29 years of tears, challenges, triumphs, worries, making ends meet, prayers, blessings, celebrating and pure joy than I ever thought possible...

and I'd do it all over again as long as I could do it with my best friend!

I love you Mark, thanks for 29 wonderful years.

Karen

Capitol Reef Classic

 On July 14th Jenn, Mark and I headed south for the fourth annual Capitol Reef Classic Stage Race.

This is one of Mark's favorite races for a number of reasons.

 It's one of the few stage races he is able to finish because 

all the stages are on Friday and Saturday. 

It includes a great time trial course, a circuit race - NO CRIT

And an 80 mile road race with a tough climb up to Fish Lake

and then back to town.

This year Mark's teammate Cris Williams came. Mark rode in the Masters 35+ category and Cris rode in the Masters 45+ category... they like to spread the love (or pain as the case may be).                                                                            Two days before the race Mark got a stomach bug and wasn't sure if he would be able to race but after a call to Dr. Wood and some excellent advice Mark was feeling better and decided to race.

Every time we go we stay at the Sandstone Inn in a little town called Torrey. It's kind of an artsy town with one tiny grocery store, art shops, a cool book store, lots of little restaurants including the Diablo Cafe which is one of my all time favorite restaurants. The food there is fresh, different, so tasty and beautiful (and a bit pricey) but worth it (probably a good thing we don't live closer).

 Mark rode a little cautiously in the time trial because he was uncertain as to how he would feel and he had the circuit race in the afternoon. He ended up 4th overall, about 40 seconds behind the leader and 10 and 12 seconds behind second and third place (I think... ).

Every year we have done this race it has been very hot but this year it was about 15 degrees cooler which was a welcome change.

The circuit race begins in Teasdale, goes through Torrey and around some beautiful countryside and back to Teasdale for a second lap. It has some good hills to climb as well as some fun downhill. The group usually drops the weakest riders on the hills and the strongest riders finish together. Jenn and I drove wheel support for this race and Jenn took some great pictures.

Mark came in second a few seconds ahead of the rest of the group so there was not much change in the GC from  this race as was expected.








After the race Mark was encouraged at how good he felt. We went back to the hotel, ate at the hotel restaurant, watched a movie (John Adams - really good) read (Shannon Hale, Forest Born - second time - loved it again) and got ready for the next day.




Saturday morning was cool and beautiful. Every one was feeling good - except me, I got Mark's bug - ugh! Luckily I knew how to handle it. Jenn and I followed the race taking pictures and giving time splits. On the first climb Mark, old teammate Zan (currently 5th place) and Mark Schaffer (currently first) dropped everyone else on the climb up to Fish Lake. Jenn and I pretty much missed the first feed because we were giving splits but as we were trying to get there Mark said he didn't need the bottle - it wasn't as hot as usual... whew! We gave them a few more splits and then went up the the feed zone at Fish Lake. They were steadily increasing their lead.

When they came through they were over a minute ahead of one of Mark Schaffer's teammates (second place guy) who was trying to bridge. Mark Z and Zan worked while Mark S sat in.

 In the end the three finished 10 mintues ahead of the others who had regrouped and were now riding together. Mark Shaffer was first, Mark Z was second and Zan was third. Our Mark also won King of the Hill... a $25 gift certificate to Cafe Diablo!!!!!  I think we will go again next year!

(the race and Cafe Diablo)

From the imagination of a 3 year old

This is from Amy's blog dated May 6, 2011

"Meet Ruby's imaginary friends: Milla, Jula, & Greena. They have been around for a while and I am surprised I haven't done a post about them yet.

The only experience I have had with imaginary friends before this is when my older brother had a couple he was little: Gaggio and Gloria. He even let me play with them. So, I was pretty tickled to hear that Ruby had some a few months ago. She knows they are pretend, but they are very present in her day-to-day life.

Let me give you some information about them: they are all girls, all sisters (except Greena, who apparently is a brother but is magic and can turn into a sister). Milla is the main friend, the one she talks about the most, so we know the most about her. She also was the original friend--Jula and Greena have all showed up later and come and go. Milla is about Ruby's age, although sometimes that changes. They often go to school or come over to play with Ruby or Ruby goes to their house. Ruby asks Jordan to look for them at night before she goes to bed, but she tells him that, "since they don't get home until fourteen o'clock, you should just watch the hockey game." She has had to put Milla in timeout a few times, but not for anything major.

This is what they look like (with their names written to the left):"

Milla on top, Jula on bottom, not pictured: Greena 

 Amy also included Ruby's description of Milla - Brown hair, blue eyes...

The other day I was going through our "Valu Pack Coupons" (which I never do) and came across this image on a flyer for the Thanksgiving Point Princess Festival:

I about fell off my chair.

I wanted to call Amy that very second but decided to wait

there is an one hour time difference and she does have a baby...

While I waited I went to the website to check it out. 

Three-year-olds and a parent (or grandpa in this case)

can attend the festival which includes:

"Over 50 fully costumed actors are in character acting out a deliciously scripted adventure at all times.  They playfully and personally interact with every one of our guests through the entirety of the Festival.  For example, after checking in at their ticketed time our “Guest Princesses” are whisked away in a small group by Alice and the Mad Hatter for a 15 minute adventure.  Once they’ve concluded their foray in Wonderland, they discover Beauty and Beast waiting to immerse them in the next journey….. and for 2 hours the adventures continue.  In addition to these guided treks, the grounds are filled with delightful performances including exhibitions such as “The Magic Flute”, Story time with Snow White,  and Twelve Princesses dancing their hearts out."

Sounds PERFECT 

What about dates and availability?

Amy, Ruby and Peter will only be here for a few days before the wedding..

DATES: June 15-18, 2011 and June 22-25, 2011

I found an opening on the 22nd!

Wahooooooooooooo!

Somewhere in my searching Amy texted me, we made arrangements

emailed Mark who was thrilled at the prospect,

we arranged for Christian to go with them to take pictures

and enjoy a day with Ruby before he leaves for his mission.

So... what do you call this? 

Luck.... Serendipity..... Fate...?

Probably all three, but most of all a tender mercy.

Proof that God is aware of the detail of our lives.

PS I could post this because Ruby doesn't read blogs

but it's a secret, we'll tell her when she get's here...

but that's another post.

More information about

Princess Mila and the Princess festival.

The rest of the story...

I can't tell you exactly how long Mark has had this philosophy on where Christian was going to be called on his mission but it seems like it's been a very long time. 

This is how it goes:

Mark was living in Minnesota when he got his mission call.

Straight down the US as south as you get from Minnesota - Louisiana, Baton Rouge.

Aaron went the the next country down, Mexico

as far South as you can go, Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Robbie when to Southern Brazil, 

to Santa Maria...

  

So Christian would of course be heading to Southern Argentina, 

or possibly southern Chile.

He totally hit the nail on the head!

The mission map is on the right.

We're not sure what to make of it all

except that maybe Heavenly Father is logical too...

or just has a great sense of humor

actually we are sure that both are right.

His  mission is quite large and diverse. A transfer by bus can take up to 24 hours.

Some transfers are done by plane. It includes very nice areas as well as very poor areas. 

Wind and mud are fairly constant throughout the mission, although the desert of Patagonia only gets 5" of rain annualy. He needs to bring a sleeping bag with a liner for his bedding and will likely stay in apartments as nice as our home to a 6x8 foot hut. Patagonia has animals not found anywhere else on the earth. Charles Darwin spent some time in Patagonia and said it was one of his favorite places. Temperatures in his mission range from 110f to 10 below. The Southern areas have a lot of snow, little sun in winter (our summer) and almost constant sun in the summer (our winter). There are beaches, mountains and desert, big cities and tiny villages. He will be speaking Spanish. He leaves July 6th.

Last night was fun, loud, joyful and completely amazing.

I feel incredibly happy and blessed

and a little hungover today.

I think I am going to take a nap.

Life is oh so good!

Becoming

I've come a long way since meeting my sweetheart. 

My 30th high school reunion is this summer.

As people prepare and plan for this event I have come in contact with many people that I haven't seen in a very long time. It's interesting to get a glimpse into where choices and circumstances have taken them over the years.

I've also thought about where I was when I graduated from high school and where I am now. Many people have influenced my life but none so great as my wonderful husband. While both of us are far from perfect he really does bring out the best in me.

I believe more in my abilities and my capabilities.

I have done things and accomplished things I wasn't sure I could do.

I have learned things about the world, the gospel and myself that I'm not sure I would have learned without his love, example and encouragement. He is always there offering support when I was discouraged or frustrated. He has helped me see things more clearly, be more practical and not try to do everything. He has made me laugh, worked knots out of my back until his hands ached, and held me close when I've been sad.

I still have a lot to learn but I'm glad I don't have to do it alone.

I love you sweetie!

 

How do you do it?

A few months ago Kent Messenger was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 

Kent and Jane Ann Messenger were living in our neighborhood when we moved here. 

Their youngest two sons have been in school with Aaron and Robbie.

We tried to take piano lessons from Jane Ann but her waiting list was too long.

Their youngest son, David, served his mission during the exact same time as Robbie. 

{see this post}

About two years ago Kent lost his job and they subsequently lost their home.

They were able to rent a house one street over, keeping them nearby.

Kent finally found a really great job and things were looking up when he was diagnosed.

He was able to work long enough to get insurance coverage.

After a round of radiation and chemo they waited for six weeks.

We got his email last week written by Jane Ann

(it went to the whole ward):

"We got the results back from Kent's CT scan yesterday.  It is not good.  The cancer has spread to his liver and spleen.  No wonder he is such a sick guy.  He never ceases to amaze me with his good attitude.  He is only worried about me.  The Hospice nurse thought it would be around 4 weeks.  I thought we would have longer than that, but we will take all the time we have.

Oh my we never know what is ahead of us.  Don't let one day go by without telling those you love that they are so special to you.  Forgive faster and judge slower.  That is my advice for you. Again, thank you for all your love and prayers.  We need them more now than ever before.

Thanks again for all your kind words and love.  

Your love and prayers have seen us through a lot these past few months.  

We love you."

We visited with Jane Ann tonight. 

We cried together and talked about the amazing life Kent has lived. 

We visited with Kent too. He was thin and pale, and not feeling very good but visited with us for a few minutes. He knew us and it was good to visit with him.

We left with hugs and tears.

Assurances that help and support is nearby,

I know our offer was among many.

But how do you do it?

How do you watch your beloved spouse leave this life?

Jane Ann will be 60 soon.

As she said, that's too young to be a widow...

I think the only thing that makes it doable/bearable 

is knowing that God has a plan for all of His children 

and that this separation is only temporary...

Tonight I am so very thankful for that.

The Bike room

 This room makeover is brought to you as the perfect example of the domino effect.

I needed to get the main room of the basement redone for Kindermusik

This required moving lots of stuff out and getting new carpet.

Getting new carpet meant we needed to move as much as possible
out of the entire carpeted area of the basement.

Once the new carpet was installed
the paint in the bike room looked really bad,

and because of all the rearranging of stuff the bike room needed some serious organization
to make it work for Mark this winter and beyond.

 The first step was texturing - soon there will be no more orange peel texture anywhere in the house. That will be a monumental day indeed!

The same yellow was chosen for the walls as we used upstairs - bright and cheery but no sunglasses required! (I had Lowes match the paint color to a sheet of So Saffron Stampin' UP paper)

But I didn't want all the walls yellow...

(how boring would that be!)

We needed something to contrast the yellow 

and make the room really inviting for those 

loooooong winter rides Mark does.

A stencil! Something reminiscent of the mountains, something in a gray/taupe color...

I've seen these awesome stencils lately on this and this blog

 So I ordered it here and can I tell you these are not like the stencils I used back in the day.

They are large and laser cut and the paint is applied with a small foam roller. They line up amazingly well. This wall took me a little over an hour and used a sample sized thing of paint.

It probably would have been a little faster if I had started in the upper left hand corner rather than in the middle. Doing half a stencil next to the ceiling was a pain.

 Cleaning them was amazingly easy too. They suggested you clean it in the bathtub with warm water. I filled the tub, put it in, went to answer the phone and when I came back half the paint was floating! The other half peeled off super easily. 

(They should pay me for advertising.)

Anyway The bike room is DONE!

On to the guest bedroom...

domino theory ya know

PS if anyone is interested in buying a slightly new but excellent condition stencil call me!

you can only have so many birch forest walls in one house.

A prosperous time of life

Tuesday Rob moved out.

Tuesday I held my first Kindermusik practicum class. 

Wednesday Christian moved out.

Wednesday Jennifer started her sophomore year of high school.

Wednesday Mark attended the first day of "back to school" meetings.

Mark got back from a trip to New Jersey at about 10:45pm on Tuesday night. It was late and we enjoyed some time to get caught up. It was quite late when I got to sleep. Wednesday morning my alarm went off at 6:15..."Really,.... 6:15... I don't think I got up this early last year and it worked fine". I hit my snooze... just 5 more minutes. (I NEVER do that) Next thing I knew there was a knock at the door and Jenn whispered..." are we still having scripture study at 6:45?" I bolted out of bed, yes.... yes... of course..... be right down. I buzzed around in my nightgown packing her lunch. She sat down and ate while Mark began reading. Her ride came early but she was ready.

(wish I had some pictures, sorry)

I sat down and hoped this is not a sign of things to come.

Mark had a day full of meetings (so much fun!). I came home from aerobics to Christian all packed up and ready to move into Heritage Halls. He did let me shower, which I greatly appreciate. When we unloaded the last of his stuff it was lunch time. Robbie texted me to let me know his first day of classes went well. We decided to meet at Panda Express and have lunch. (Love the mushroom chicken)

"This is a prosperous time of life for you"

I'm not one to take fortunes that you get in cookies very seriously but when I read this in mine, I felt a great sense of peace and comfort. Silly I know, it could have easily applied to either of the boys and been just as fitting. But somehow it felt like it was just for me. I know "prosperous" is often viewed in terms of making money, but with so many changes in my life right now it felt more like being able to grow and embrace the changes and find success. A vote of confidence.

(fortunes found in cookies are subject to the consumer's own interpretation)

So I will end with a fortune for you:

"Live long and prosper"

I'll be doing some catching up too.

22, 2-fortysomethings, 28 and 51

Wow, I've been AWOL for a while and while I have a few other posts in the works this one is most timely (and most are late, sorry)

July 16th
Greg! I don't even know if you read this ever but Happy Birthday!
You've always been one step ahead of me and I sure love you.
Hope your day was great.

July 21 - Happy Birthday Celisa
We are so glad you are part of our family.
You are an awesome mom and an amazing person.
Hope your Birthday was wonderful.July 29th
Lisa, Happy (late)Birthday!
When we were little we weren't that close,
(cause you were Mom's favorite and I was a bit jealous:)
But I really admire you and glad we are sisters.
Love you!
July 31st
Happy Anniversary to my best friend!
So glad I'm yours and you are mine.
So happy we get to be together forever.
I love you.

Today - August 7 - Mark's birthday
51 years old. Wow, can you believe you are 51?
Where has the time gone?(not to imply in anyway that there isn't still lots and lots of time left cause with the shape you're in I expect maybe next year you'll be half way to the top of the hill). Each birthday you have I secretly hope that in four years I will be as healthy and wonderful as you are and so far I've never made it, but maybe by the time I'm 51....?
Hope your day is wonderful and that you feel the love so many have for you!
I love you!
(did I mention that already?)

If only we drank beer...

This race season has been a little different than years past.

In one of the earlier races in the season Mark woke up the morning of a race with a sore throat.
But, true to form he decided to race anyway. This race was an out and back race (where you turn around half way and finish where you started). Mark was racing pretty well until the turn around. He was towards the front and hit a patch of gravel and went down. He was scraped up and bruised his hip but got up and continued on. When he went down some of the other riders took that opportunity to attack. Mark played catch up during much of the rest of the race and by the time it was over he felt terrible. Not only was he sore from his fall but his throat was burning and he felt achy and sick to his stomach. This was the beginning of what turned out to be a three week long sickness. I got it too - It was not fun.

Since then Mark has done some races and worked really hard to regain the fitness he lost when he was sick. He wondered if his whole season (and all the training he put in over the winter) was lost. Two weeks ago he rode in the pro 1/2 category in a race near Logan. It was long and hot and BRUTAL. He produced more watts for a longer period of time on the uphill portions than he had ever done before and even though he was totally beat he still finished the final lap - the only master rider to finish in the pro 1/2's. Feeling exhausted and sick to his stomach he still wondered if his season was shot.

Fast forward to July 10th and the Porcupine Hill Climb.
A race straight up Big Cottonwood Canyon.
14.7 miles, 3800 feet of vertical climbing.
And for the third straight year he won the Master's 45+ category
finishing more than a minute ahead of his nearest opponent.
The winner gets the jug as a trophy.
Now he has three (actually four - one for a second place win)
You can take these to the Porcupine bar and grill and fill them with beer for only $2.00!
At our house they sit on the cupboard or hold flowers.
Mark has his newest one at work full of marbles.
While the jug is a fun trophy
it's tangible proof to him that he's still got it.

(I never questioned that)

What Dads have taught me

My dad and niece Erika
(circa 2002ish)

One spoke out, “My dad is bigger than your dad,” to which another replied, “Well, my dad is smarter than your dad.” The third boy countered, “My dad is a doctor.” Then, turning to one boy, he taunted in derision, “And your dad is only a teacher.” There is one teacher whose life overshadows all others. When the boy heard the taunts: “My dad is bigger than yours,” “My dad is smarter than yours,” “My dad is a doctor,” well could he have replied, “Your dad may be bigger than mine; your dad may be smarter than mine; your dad may be a pilot, an engineer, or a doctor; but my dad is a teacher.” May each of us ever merit such a sincere and worthy compliment!

Thomas S. Monson

I am blessed to be surrounded by wonderful dads who are also teachers. My own dad taught me joy in service, love of the Lord, and tenderheartedness. The father of my children has taught me and them much about integrity, humility and priorities.

My son and son in law have taught me to take time time to have fun and enjoy the little moments of life as I have watched them love their little girls.

I thank my Heavenly Father or all these earthly fathers that help me to know Him better.