Dear Reader,

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl with not so long or flowing hair that went to a far off kingdom on a quest. She travelled with the handsome prince on a loud, cold, slightly smelly but exceedingly fast steed across the ocean to a place where not many people speak her language. She boarded a ship of the floating variety (we should hope so!) and went sailing on many waters. She walked around great cities, dined on delicously prepared food, slept in a bed she didn't have to make, and talked to many people along the way.

What quest could take her so far away? What is she hoping to find?

Her brain. It seems that it has been misplaced and she can't remember little things like -- Where are her son's shoes? Which Sunday School lesson was she reading? Which pocket were those keys in? and Was that really all she needed at the store or will she have to go back tomorrow? It would be nice to call her children by the right name the first time and to remember what they said to her five minutes ago.

Wish her well. Never fear. She'll ride her trusty steed back to the States in time to hear the Election results -- at which point -- with her in tact brain she will somehow be able to explain why THAT person got elected. Okay, maybe not. But hopefully she'll at least remember to call her children by their names and she'll walk to those missing shoes without hesitation.

Ta Ta until next time, when pictures of the quest can be posted.

My first baby -- all grown up!

Here's my beautiful Trisa. I had already discovered that those tiny baby clothes that I admired before she was born were actually too big! Look at the way those socks hang loose! I had also discovered that Trisa looked so cute that I couldn't help but admire her, and expect others to do the same, no matter what she was wearing. Trisa was born October 18th after I had spent much time lying around, worrying, being uncomfortable, and being spoiled by many. I was not awake for her birth because the epidural didn't work right and so she was seen first by her doctors, her Dad, both sets of grandparents, and a few nurses. Four hours later I was finally able to see her for the first time with my parents and Trisa's Great Grandparents looking on. She was called our "miracle baby" by many and the hospital staff was shocked at the number of visitors that trooped in to see us. What a happy day for us!
The above picture is in our Salt Lake apartment. As a member of a large and loving family, and as the oldest grandchild on her Dad's side and the oldest great grandchild on her Dad's side and as the no less loved third grandchild on my side, she has always had many admirers. She had a lot less cousins back then but her uncles and aunts loved her and played with her at every opportunity. Her aunts were much more patient at teaching her letters and teaching her things.
Time marches on, and Trisa now has two sisters and three brothers. The picture above is her with her oldest brother. She has always been a good sister -- even if I worried when Tia was born because she thought babies were supposed to sleep with blankets on their faces and she felt Tia would be bored in her crib without the addition of several toys dropped over the top (thankfully usually of the soft variety). By the time we got to the boys she was helpful for real -- and not just desiring to be helpful.
Here's Trisa on a family hike. She is a good adventurer. She has been trained from a very young age to watch sports and understand them and she likes to attend BYU games with her Dad. She has played sports in the cities leagues and has enjoyed family hikes and trips -- especially to visit family members. Trisa also has good talents of being musical (she plays the piano beautifully), smart (she takes harder classes than I ever did), kind, sympathetic, and helpful.
Trisa was not born on Halloween, but she was baptized on Halloween when she was 8 and now she has celebrated her 18th birthday with the annual Halloween party thrown by her Grandma C. Her friends came and decorated her room while we were gone and I think the day was a happy one for her. It is certainly a blessing to me that she was born into our family. She does a good job of taking care of me when I need it and I love her very much.



Happy Birthday Trisa!

The invasion of the THINGS!

As I was walking through my house this afternoon, I got the feeling that the tool above would be the most useful tool when my house has been invaded by THINGS. These THINGS come crawling out of all kinds of corners of the house and they even come in the doors -- in shopping bags! I could just rake all of the THINGS into a pile and then decide whether to

1. Chuck the whole pile of THINGS

2. Burn the pile of THINGS

3. Sort the pile and leave individual piles of THINGS in bedrooms

4. Pick all of my THINGS out of the pile and give away the rest.

5. Leave the pile of THINGS for a decoration.

6. Try to shove the pile of THINGS under the couch for dealing with later.

I'm going to have to design a handy plastic, no stratchy up the floors THINGS rake for indoor cleaning. Maybe it will be a big hit. I'll just have Walmart leave them in the middle of an isle where everyone walks and people are bound to compulsively put them in their cart. After all, we all know that the best way to solve the THING problem is to buy another tool or organizing gadget right? How do you manage the invasion of THINGS that come creeping out of closets and backpacks and grocery carts and do you ever get tired of all of those THINGS?

Tag, I'm It

2 names you go by: Sher and Sherie
2 things I'm wearing right now: my birthday "diamond" earrings from a friend (thanks Shan) and a new bright orange shirt.
2 of my favorite things: my family and my friends (except are people things?) Maybe my cedar chest and my piano would be the things.
2 things I want very badly at the moment: Food (preferably yummy and cooked by someone else) and a maid (preferably friendly)
2 favorite pets you have/had: Sunny (my parakeet) and Monster (my sister's cat)
2 things you did last night: Colored a picture of a witch, Sang a couple of hymns (those go together, right?)
2 things you ate today: cereal and pumpkin bread
Last 2 people you talked to: Trisa and Kayli or Tia
2 things you are planning on doing today: go to the dentist and eat dinner
2 longest trips taken in the last 5 years: Baltic Cruise (Russia, Sweden, Finland, Germany, ?) and a Caribbean Cruise (Jamaica, Haiti, other warm places) -- Derek's work is great but my memory is a little slow!
2 favorite holidays: Christmas and Easter
2 favorite beverages: Orange juice and lemonade

Angel Class: Recognizing the Angels in our lives, and learning to be one.

I decided last night, at my most brilliant hour (around 11 or so at night) that this is the title of the *Enrichment Class I want to teach. Not because I am so angelic, but because I believe that everyone has it in them to be an angel for someone else, and wouldn't it be fun to discover the "angels" that people recognize in their pasts, and to learn from those experiences what we can do to meet the needs of someone in the future?

So, what would I teach at my first class? I decided that I would have three people who were coming (that sounded like a nice round number) share how someone had been an angel to them, and we could discuss what we learned. Then I would share one of my stories -- and give an assignment.

My story is a simple one from over twenty years ago. I was in college and not having a particularly cheerful day and was headed off to class. I was walking, probably with my head ducked a bit, feeling sorry for myself for one reason or another, when a cheerful voice greeted me, and a stranger smiled at me. I don't remember exactly what was said, but I remember looking back at her and smiling, and then continuing to grin in a silly fashion. Almost immediately someone passed me, caught my eye and my smile, and they smiled too. I remember wondering how far that one girls smile would travel. It was such a small thing and it made such a big difference to my day, that I have remembered it for over 20 years. By the simple method of a kind smile, and a cheerful world, my day seemed transformed.

What would the assignment be? I think, until the next angel class, that we would all be assigned to try to "create" as many smiles as possible by sharing our own smile with others. Perhaps that one girl has created a million smiles by now, just by sharing hers. Trying to get others to smile or "create" smiles is a fun and happy way to be an angel.

What angels have you found in your life? What have you learned from them? What would you teach at angel class?

*Enrichment Classes are small classes held by groups of Relief Society Sisters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They are held on many different topics and help "sisters learn and share ways to strengthen
homes, families, and individuals."