Hooray For Son 1A!!

Okay, I'm a little late with the pictures, but wanted to send a congratulations to Son #1A for his recent graduation from the University of Alberta.  Our little boy is growing up.  Sniff.

In keeping with tradition, he kept telling us that he didn't even want to attend the convocation.  And in keeping with tradition, we kept telling him he had no choice.  Thankfully he was a good sport and smiled for the pictures.

And, also in keeping with tradition, he smuggled in a book under his gown to read when the convocation speakers got boring.  Luckily this time around the book was hardly given a glance -- the speakers were very entertaining!

So now Son 1A is a certified teacher, hoping to work with junior high school students.  He needs a job.  Along with a thousand other young graduates.  

Now, if only all those retired teachers would remove their names from the "Substitute" list so all these young kids could get some subbing experience and eventually get offered a job.

Congratulations Son 1A -- We're proud of you!!!

Dixie

Happy Anniversary

Today The Mr. and I celebrate 32 years of wedded blitz bliss.  The previous sentence was written as a shout out to my mom who told that little joke over and over and over again.  It never got old.  Almost.


Anyway, this is what we looked like on the big day 32 years ago.

And this is what we look like now.  

Happy Anniversary, honey!!  Hope the next 32 are just as fun!

Dixie

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

So yesterday was the first day of Summer!  What??  How did that happen?  Where did Spring go?  It seems like Christmas was just a couple of months ago.  In retrospect, here's a run down of my Spring -- the good, the bad and the ugly:


The Good

• A girls' weekend.   After picking up Daughter #3 from university in Idaho, we met up with Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 in Lethbridge.  It was the most central spot for all of us to meet, to watch Daughter #3 try on wedding dresses.  So, so fun!
• The Showbiz Kids Production.  The kids were awesome, and I was so proud of them!  I can't wait for another year.
• Seminary Graduation.  Not only did the students graduate, but so did I (my four-year calling is finished), and I have to say... it feels pretty good.
• Preparing for the wedding.  Checking out pinterest, clipping coupons for Michaels, and  scanning garage sales for vintage-type items has taken up a fair amount of time.
• Preparing for missionaries.  After the wedding we'll begin taking our turn to house the missionaries from our church.  So, I've been trying to get the space ready for them that they will need.  It's interesting how you start looking at your house in a totally different way when you know total strangers are coming to stay with you.
• Convocation of Son #1A.  We're pretty proud of him.  I'll post pictures in a later post.
• A Change in the Recycling.  Town Council announced the new program that just made recycling so much easier.  No more removing the paper labels from the tin cans!  No more peeling the stickers from the plastic wrap!!  And best of all, no more separating the paper envelopes from their little plastic windows!!!  Who knew this little change could make me such a happy woman?

The Bad

• The Dress (check out my earlier post)
• The Rain (check out any newspaper)

The Ugly

• Finding my first grey eyebrow hair.  I don't think I even need to expand on that.

Dixie

Happy Father's Day

I know I'm a couple of days late, but in honor of Father's Day, I wanted to post a few pictures.  These old snapshots of The Mr. with his children are some of my favorites over the years.

Mocking of clothing styles, eye glass styles, and home decor is strictly forbidden.  JUST KIDDING!!  Where would be the fun in that?  Please, mock away.

 He later grossed them out as they watched him clean it.

Acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve.

Modelling their Christmas Eve pajamas.

Dressing up for the Primary pioneer party.

Christmas Day 1988.

"London's noble fire brigade" in Hillaire Belloc's poem Matilda.

Patiently waiting for the Angel Moroni statue to be placed on the Mount Timpanogos Temple.

The happiest place on earth.

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.

Modelling Christmas Eve pajamas. 

Father's Day circa 1997.

Another Father's Day -- a couple of years later.

St. Patrick's Day.

"Supervising" the Sunday dinner dishwashing.

Embracing their nerdliness.

Christmas Day 2007 -- trying out our new Wii game.

Good sports at the "gender bender" version of our annual murder mystery.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO THE MR.   YOU'RE MY FIRST PICK FOR SHARING THIS WHOLE PARENTING THING.  LOVE YOU!!

Dixie

The Dress

With the impending nuptials of Daughter #3, I've been looking for a "mother-of-the-bride" dress for the big day.  I wasn't having much luck.  It kinda seems like you get two choices.

This                                                                                                                          

Or this

I was kind of hoping for somewhere in between. 

So at the suggestion of Daughter #2, I viewed a website that looked a little more promising.  There were a ZILLION choices, and after perusing the first 150 pages -- not even joking --  I finally decided on one I had seen on page 7.  The style was perfect for me:  V-neck,  3/4 sleeves, and most importantly, a skirt that hit just slightly below my knees.  

I was a little nervous to order something on-line, but Daughter #2 has done this sort of thing before and didn't seem to be concerned.  Not only was she ordering her own dress to wear to the wedding, but she was also ordering 3 little dresses for the Bride and Groom's nieces, and a few personal items.

I decided to go ahead with the purchase.

• Free shipping promised - check.
• Precise measurements taken - check.
• Color selected from the minuscule color chart - a little dicey, but - check.
• Submit credit card payment of $88 - check.

A couple of weeks later the package came.  Complete with a $22.10 international duty tax.  (So much for free shipping.)  

Daughter #3 and I were so anxious to see if the color was right.  We hovered around the parcel full of anticipation, then squealed with delight when we found the color to be PERFECT!!  I quickly lifted the dress up by the shoulders and let out a huge gasp!  The dress was short!  About 12 inches too short.  Let's just say, it looked a little closer to the second picture shown above than the first one.  

I tried it on hoping I could at least salvage the top half, and maybe wear it as a blouse of some kind.  What a joke.  One of the shoulders was way wider than the other, and would not be enticed to stay up where it was supposed to.  

It was a hideous first attempt at an on-line purchase.  

A hideous attempt that cost me $110.10

I quickly called Daughter #2 to warn her to expect the worst:  Poor quality sewing, not the right size, and an unexpected tax at the door.

Well, the force was apparently with her that day, because not only did everything fit perfectly and was better than expected, but she didn't have to pay any taxes at the door, AND they charged her LESS money than advertised. 

Now, I ask you, "Where is the justice in that?"

Oh well.  I'm actually in negotiations with the company as we speak to see if I can get my money back. If not I think I'll try and find someone with just the right figure to give this dress to.

You know, someone who's really short and whose left shoulder is far wider than their right one.   ;)

Dixie

The Crazy Lady

When I stepped out of my car today at the mall parking lot, I heard a woman's angry, scolding voice.

"YOU'RE MAKING ME SO MAD!!   DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!

I assumed it was some mother yelling at her child, and my first thought was, "Oh, you poor kid.  My heart aches for you to be yelled at like that." 

As I looked in the direction of the yelling, I couldn't see which parked car the voice was coming from.  

"STOP IT!!  I TOLD YOU NEVER TO DO THAT!!  I HATE YOU!!"

I saw a woman walking by in the general vicinity of the yelling, and figured she was getting quite an earful.  

"STOP LIEING TO ME!!  YOU MAKE ME SICK!!"

Then I realized just how close she was to the angry woman.  She WAS the angry woman.  Certifiably crazy.  

I felt sorry for her and sent a quick thanks heavenward that I wasn't like that.  And then the realization set in.....

I AM like that.  Minus the yelling, of course.  But I totally talk to myself all the time.  The Mr. is always asking me who I'm talking to.  I just tell him that I'm talking to myself, but it's okay because I KNOW that I am.  As long as you KNOW that you're talking to yourself you're still sane, right?

Right?  (crickets chirping.)

Well, at least I've never answered myself.

Dixie

Mother's Day Thoughts

So another Mother's Day came and went, and for good or for bad, here were my thoughts (pretty much in order):

          *   I love being a mom.

          *   I'm so lucky to have such great kids.

          *   That was so nice of The Mr. to arrange for the kids to come and
               make brunch for all of us.

          *   Brunch was actually pretty tasty.

          *   Wow!  The Mother's Day gifts were pretty cool.

          *   No more tissue paper and pipe cleaner flowers.  The kids have
               definitely grown up.

          *   I love my mom.

          *   I miss my mom.

          *   My mom wasn't perfect, but she was the best mom I could ask
               for.

          *   I wish I could be a better mom.

          *   Are the church speakers telling the truth?  Are their moms really
               that perfect?

          *   I really need to be a better mom.

          *   I sure hope the Mother's Day gift from the church is chocolate.
              My flowers always die.

         *   Okay, that was rude.  I shouldn't even expect a gift from the
              church.

          *   But I sure hope it's chocolate!

          *   I really need to be a better mom.

          *   I really need to stop obsessing about chocolate.

          *   Yes!!!  A three-pack of Lindts by Lindor.  My favorite.

          *   I suppose it would be polite to offer one to The. Mr.

          *   I hope this is one of his "healthy-eating" days and he turns me
              down.

          *   Bummer.  He wants one.

          *   Okay, I need to be a better mother AND a better wife.


All in all a really great day.  And this card from my animal-loving granddaughter was the perfect ending.  (I'm pretty sure it even beat out the chocolate.)

Dixie

Tomorrow

Tomorrow's a big day for me.  My children's musical theatre group -- Showbiz Kids -- is putting on their year-end show.  And I'm excited!

Although we got off to a late start, the dress rehearsal today went surprisingly well.  Okay, that's a lie.  The microphones were causing us a little grief.  But the children were delightful!

Their sweet voices.

                 Their adorable faces.

                                   Their scary memory lapses.

                                                        Their hilarious wardrobe malfunctions.

I love it all!  And I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow night brings.

Dixie

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others

Today's post is a quickie.  All you have to do is look at the following four pictures, and guess what these men all have in common.

Mark Walberg

Ashton Kutcher

Channing Tatum

The Mr.

No, it's not that they're all wearing a suit coat.

Give up?

Answer:  They've all had modelling careers.  

Okay, so technically The Mr. doesn't have a modelling career.  But while at work on Friday, he walked past an area where they were set up for a photo shoot, and the cameraman approached him and asked him if he'd like to do some modelling for a business magazine.  Apparently the cameraman told him he "looked pretty good".

Oh, great!  There's gonna be no living with him now.

Dixie

Blogging Time Interrupted

It's official.  I'm a slacker.  I haven't posted on this blog for over a month.  That's ridiculous.  

I've been trying to figure out what I've been doing for the past few weeks that has kept me busy enough to take away any free blogging time.  Here's what I've come up with:

• Our trip to Washington D.C.  
• JRCLS Law Conference -- PLEASANT 
• Library of Congress -- AMAZING
• Capitol Building -- BEAUTIFUL
• Smithsonian Museums -- IMPRESSIVE
• Lincoln Memorial -- MAJESTIC
• Washinton Monument -- ADEQUATE
• Washington D.C. Temple -- SERENE
• The Metro -- DELIGHTFUL
• Weather -- DISAPPOINTING
• Feet -- SORE 

• Stake Women's Conference
• I was in charge of the entertainment during the brunch.  Rearranging the words to several Broadway show tunes (to fit the theme of "The Power of Kindness") and watching the various women perform was so much fun for me.

• Stake Road Show
• Do you suppose it's a coincidence that my two favorites were my ward's play and my sons' ward's play?
• I was involved in a little "intro act" which has caused me to decide that I definitely prefer to be involved in the organizing, and not in the actual performing.

• Daughter Number #2's Visit
• She was finally here long enough to fit everything in.
• Love, love, love seeing my grandchildren. 

• Seminary Mid-Year Conference
• Whenever I have to present at one of these conferences I almost become paralyzed.  I worry for days/weeks because I wonder what on earth I can teach the teachers who have far more experience and scriptural knowledge than I do.  
• When it's finally over, the emotional stress release leaves me wanting to do nothing but sleep and eat for the rest of the day.  (And yes, I realize that is totally pathetic!)

• Showbiz Kids
• Finding the music and preparing costumes/props always takes a fair amount of time.
• I absolutely LOVE planning the choreography for the shows and trying to teach it to the kids.  (Of course the final project is never as great as I had imagined in my mind's eye -- no crisp, precise movements to the exact beat of the music -- but they are, after all, children, so it shouldn't surprise me.)

• Snow Shovelling
• Just when we thought Spring was on its way, we got dumped on with a foot of snow.  It just kept coming.  And coming.  And coming.  

• A Little More Company Than Usual
• Some came to stay, others just for a meal.  Either way, I love having them.

So, that's probably what's been keeping me busy.  Not really busy enough to stop me from blogging, though.  There must be something else.  

Oh, wait.  I remember what that other thing was....

• Pinterest
• Daughter #2 introduced me to this little obsession while visiting.  Wow!  Who knew you can find EVERYTHING on Pinterest?  And who knew how addicting it can be?
• Should I let Daughter #3 know that I have her entire wedding planned?  Or should I let her and her fiance have a say in something?

Dixie

Lucky

Daughter #3 is lucky -- probably the luckiest person I know.

While still just a toddler, one of her older siblings entered her name in one of those Trade Fair draws.  A week later someone called and asked to speak with her.  When I informed them she was only two years old, they told me that her name had been drawn to win a $500 prize to be put toward university.  Unfortunately, since she wasn't able to use the money in the next 10 years, the prize would be given to someone else.

Okay, okay, I guess that last part wasn't so lucky, but keep reading.  I'm sure you'll agree with me.

At four years old we received a call from Totem.  Apparently Daughter #3 was the winner of a child-size wooden picnic table.  It was beautiful with a very nice varnish finish to it.  Fifteen years later the grandkids are still using it.

The neighborhood elementary school holds a carnival every year.  At the end of the day if the students have any leftover tickets, they can enter them into a draw for the leftover "Cake Walk" cakes.  Of course she was the winner.  TWICE!!

When the new hotel being built in our community held a draw for a free-night's stay, guess who won.  Yup!  Our family got to spend a night in a cool family suite, where we watched cable tv -- a luxury we didn't have at home at the time.

Over the course of the next few years, she was still winning freebies, and her reputation in our family for being lucky was a well-known fact.

Because of that "well-known fact", it was not unusual that The Mr. asked her to enter his Mohawk gas receipts on-line to see if she could win a prize.  I think he was thinking she might wing a bag of doritos, or a 2-litre bottle of pop.  Imagine our surprise when she won a 12-day Family Adventure Tour in Mexico, complete with return flights!!

A couple of years later, we were attending a musical theatre production in my hometown.  During intermission, as they were drawing for the door prizes, Daughter #3 turned to me and said, "I'm gonna win."  It was seriously only one or two seconds after that when her name was called out.

And it happened again the following year!

Upon graduation of high school, she was one of 7 lucky recipients across Canada who received a four-year scholarship to the University of her choice.

She really is a lucky girl.

And six days ago she lucked out again.  She got engaged to a really great guy!

I really do think she's one of the luckiest people I know.  

I'd wish them LUCK, but something tells me that's a given.

Dixie

Job Opening

Yesterday I became aware of a job opening that would be PERFECT for my son.  The qualifications include:

• Good spiritual knowledge
• Scholarly capabilities
• Humbleness
• Trained in Linguistics
• Knowledge of a few languages with the ability to learn more
• Relatively young (to keep up with demands of travel.)

It just kept getting better.  I was getting reading to message him to apply for the job when I saw the last qualification:

• Must be willing to remain unmarried

Okay, I have to admit, that last one put a damper on my enthusiasm.  (I would, after all, love to have a large extended family.)

And although it was never stated specifically, I kind of think you have to be Catholic for this position.

Dixie

Two Hundred Years Is A Long Time

I read in the paper that this week celebrates the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's best-known book, "Pride and Prejudice".  It is as popular today (if not more so) than when it was first written 200 years ago.  Two hundred years is a long time to remain so well-loved.

What makes this book so special?  So magical?

Why do so many authors try to imitate its style?

Why have so many films been produced in its honor?

(Even though I am not much of a reader compared to most people, I have to say that "Pride and Prejudice" is my all-time favorite book.  I have also watched every known movie version of it.)

So I've been thinking.........Wouldn't it be incredible to create something that was still considered wonderful 200 years later?

Anyway, I don't have any more time to think about that.  I'm off to celebrate this exciting anniversary.  I have about two hours until The Mr. returns home.

Just enough time to watch Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fall hopelessly in love.

Dixie

There's A First Time For Everything

Yesterday I did something that I honestly thought I would never do:  I went ice fishing!

The Mr. has been going out ice fishing for years, and every time he invites me to come along.  

And every time I laugh at him.

Those of you who know me well, know that this particular activity includes several of my aversions and fears -- cold, fish, and falling through the ice being the top three.

Well, apparently The Mr. caught  me in a moment of weakness, because I heard myself agreeing to go with him.  What was that all about?  Had I just lost my mind?

Through the course of the evening, I kept wondering why I said I would go.   Was it because I felt bad for always turning him down?  Was it because I wanted to shock him?  Was I hoping he would "owe" me something in return?  Was it because of the book I've been reading that talks about trying new things?  Yes, I'm sure it was because of the book.  Darn that book.  ("The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin)    

Saturday morning came a little too soon, and before I knew it we were on our way to the lake.  I can't begin to tell you how nervous I was when The Mr. proceeded to DRIVE onto the lake with the truck.  We could break the ice and disappear into the lake, never to be seen again.  Do our kids know where we keep our Wills, and where our various bank accounts are located?  Nobody knows we're here -- will they know where to look for our bodies?  Who will tell the Showbiz Kids that they don't need to come to class?  What if the church ladies come into my house (to arrange our funeral) and see how messy my house is? 

As we began unloading our equipment and setting up our little "ice shack", my nerves were still pretty frayed.  With every step in the crusty snow, I was sure I was breaking through the ice.  In an effort to reassure me, The Mr. used the toe of his boot to clear away the top six inches of crust, revealing the hard ice underneath.  I felt a little better.  I just had to have faith that the entire lake looked like that, not just that one little spot.

As we got set up in our little shack -- and I emphasize "little" -- The Mr. positioned my chair right beside one of his fishing holes.  As I carefully settled myself into the chair, I promptly fell through the six inches of crust, confident that I was plummeting to my death.  This, of course, was accompanied by a scream, followed by tears that were apparently a little too close to the surface.

Well, the next few hours went by quite uneventfully.  Since I don't own a fishing license, I could only watch.  Occasionally I got to swivel the cord to the underwater camera.  It wasn't too long before I brought out my book.   Let's see what other "bright ideas" this author can come up with.

The cramped quarters, and my cold feet, soon got the best of me, and I decided to sit in the truck for a few minutes.  Of course it was during that time that The Mr. caught the only fish of the day.  I missed the whole thing.  But I did get a picture.

And I took a picture of myself just to prove that I was actually there.  (Please ignore my appearance.  I didn't feel like sprucing up for the fish.)

Shortly after that we were on our way back home.  When The Mr. asked me what my favorite part of the day was, I joked that it was eating the cookies I brought.  In all honesty, though, I'd have to say my favorite part was just being with The Mr. and watching him participate in a sport that he LOVES.  So, in a sense, I'm glad I went.  

Will I ever go again?  Nope.

In an effort to not feel guilty about that, I now quote from the book I was reading:  

"Just because something is fun for someone 

else doesn't make is fun for me."

Dixie

Les Miserables -- A Fitting Description of My Night at the Movies

So The Mr. and I finally got a chance to see Les Miserables.  I loved it!  And, yes, I cried through a majority of the movie.  But the content of the movie was only part of the reason why I was crying.  Let me explain:

We took our seats on the very top row, leaving open the customary one empty seat between us and the people seated on either side of us.  It wasn't long, though, before the theatre was filling to capacity and a guy asked if we could slide down one seat so he and his wife could sit together in the remaining two chairs.  The Mr. and I obliged him and each shuffled down one chair, so I was now sitting right next to a strange woman.  (Okay, what I mean by that is she was a stranger, AND a woman.)

We had just gotten settled when another woman in front of me turned around, and in a HARSH voice said to me, "Will you please stop kicking the back of my chair!"  Feeling very embarrassed to be scolded in public I quietly replied, "Oh, I'm sorry.  I didn't know I was."  The woman beside me rolled her eyes and said to me -- loud enough for the woman in front to hear -- "I'm pretty sure neither of us were kicking her.  She must be imagining things."

I chose not to respond, hoping that this last comment didn't add any fuel to the fire.

It wasn't long before the previews were over and the announcements came on to turn off our cellphones, and to "please refrain from kicking the seat of the person in front of you."  To this the woman next to me laughed and loudly said, "You can still throw popcorn, though.  They didn't say anything about that."

I wanted to die.  I am not a confrontational person, and the last thing I wanted was to tick off the lady in front of me anymore than she already was.  I decided I needed to come up with a plan to make sure this didn't happen.

My plan:  PLANT YOUR FEET ON THE FLOOR AND DON'T MOVE THEM FOR THE DURATION OF THE ENTIRE MOVIE.  (and keep ignoring the woman next to me.)

For the first hour my plan was working quite well.  I hadn't moved a muscle.  Except for getting a kleenex out of my coat pocket.  But not to worry -- I did it so carefully that I didn't make a sound.  And my feet were still in the same place.  So far so good.

However, shortly into the next hour of the movie, my legs started getting cramps in them.  I was dying to move.  But I didn't.  Not even when the lady in front of me shifted in her chair and bumped my shin.  Repeatedly.  I held my ground and didn't move my feet.  I did NOT want to get yelled at again.

After 2  1/2 hours the movie ended and I was finally able to stand and stretch my legs.  It felt good.  What didn't feel so good was trying to walk down all the stairs (remember we were on the top row).  It felt as if with each step my legs were going to collapse.

Luckily it didn't last very long, and by the time we got home my legs felt fine.

And the red mark on my shin only took 24 hours to fade.

Dixie

Happy New Year!!

As I've reflected on the past year, I've decided that 2012 was pretty good to me.  And here's why:

A Wonderful Family

Some Great Friends

A Few Fun Vacations

An Enjoyable Job

Some Memorable Events

An Adorable Husband

What more could a girl ask for?

Dixie