A Nice Poem

Prophetic Passing

By Anna M. Molgard
January 27, 2008

I imagine he's running to Marjorie now,
Yes, running, not waving his cane.
I see him embracing his father and mother
While they keep repeating his name.

I see him now meeting his forebears,
Brother Brigham and Joseph are there.
Sweet reunion of prophets, united by service
That only such noble men share.

I see him embraced by the Savior
While Father says, "Good and well done.
So faithful in stalwart endurance, I welcome
My noble, most excellent son."

I then hear the ripples of laughter
As he says the reception's just fine,
But he hopes that he'll get an assignment or two
Since there's no need to waste any time.

I can hear his clear voice in the stillness
At the close of this sweet Sabbath day,
Have faith and move forward — there's work to be done.
President Hinckley would want it that way.

Do your best, be your best

It's been a hard week. Seems I just don't want to let go of my prophet. But, for most of the rest of us, life goes on. I just want to be the best person I can be and to make a difference somehow.
So, I decided it was time to get started on some things I've been putting off. Namely, Holly's promised Christmas gift. Here it is in the pinned stage.

On Friday I will quilt it and bind it. I'm still not sure how I will quilt it. I wish LynnEl were closer to help me out on that. She likes the quilting part. Not me. I like the binding part.
I stole this picture of Caleb off Karen's blog. She said Caleb got his first tooth yesterday.

He is such a cute boy. I love having my grandson live near enough that I get to see him fairly often. I wish my other grandbabies were closer too. Speaking of...
Laura will be visiting Utah in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping to gather some friends and family to my house while she's here- either Sunday February 10th, if that works out for them, or during that next week sometime. If you're reading this, I hope you can come. I'll send email invites as soon as I get firm information from Laura as to what works best for her. Of course, Agnes will be here too, and Nick will be here for just a day or so.

A BYU Tribute

It's been hard for me to go back to talking about insignificant things on my blog. I'm still so tenderhearted about the passing of President Hinckley. I know that it is only through my own selfishness that I am sad. If I think of the grand party that is happening on the other side and how good it is for Pres. Hinckley to be with his sweetheart again, then it helps.
This is a small part of a speech he gave at BYU, along with photos of him on campus. It's nice to hear his voice. It helps me to remember him and to want to be a better person because of my love for him. Watch the slideshow to the very end. The last picture is so sweet and is the only reason I can agree in my heart to let this man go to the other side.

I'm so sad

We heard 15 minutes ago that President Hinckley died at 7pm tonight. I loved him so much. He was my most favorite prophet. I loved seeing him, hearing him speak, watching him raise his cane to the congregation as if to say, "I see you all there, I love you all, be strong and keep the faith." It won't be the same without him, but the church continues on. He was 97 years old. He shared a birthday with Bud, June 23. He was sustained as the prophet on Danny's birthday, March 12. I will miss him very much.
Here is what it says on the church's website:

SALT LAKE CITY 27 January 2008 President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.

President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.

The Church president died at his apartment in downtown Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night from cause’s incident to age. Member of his family were at his bedside. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley’s funeral within the next few days.

I was a virtual millionaire

For dumb fun last night I played the online game Deal or No Deal. On my very first game, I won the million! First time ever to win it!!!

I picked case 19. I almost always pick case 4. There's never anything good in case 4.
After I won the million, I played one more time...

and got the PENNY! Should have quit when I was ahead.
I'm supposed to be at a meeting right now to hear Alene Walker speak (you remember, our former Gov?) but I'm not going to get there in time. Later today we're going to the Bountiful temple to be with Bud's granddaughter for her first time. Whitney is going on a mission to Brazil. Awesome.

Ikea madness!

I went shopping at Ikea. I bought this cute easel so Agnes could have fun with some art projects when she comes to visit in a couple of weeks. On one side is a white board, and on the other side...
is a chalkboard. Underneath, you can see is a roll of paper that can be brought up and over either side for painting. I think she will like it! My next purchase was the big sister pot to the green pot I bought a couple weeks ago (it's SO your fault, April!). I've been wanting the big one since I bought a big ol' hunk of meat at the store that's now waiting in my freezer for it's big chance to be the centerpiece of the dining table.
The roast was too big for the little pot, so I had to gets me da bigga one! Justification at its best.

Now lookie what came in the mail yesterday! I put the cell phone there so you could see how tiny these little babies are. I got four sets of them so if I have some grandbabies visit, they can have a little dish! Too fun.
Lastly, a patient of ours (who is also a relative) brought me some peanut brittle. I love peanut brittle.
She stretches it out very thin. I believe I have become a peanut brittle snob- I'll only eat Debbie's peanut brittle. Maybe one day I'll get brave enough to try making some myself.

Happy Birthday Sara!

Here is the birthday girl! Little Miss Sara, herself!
Here's a picture of Sara one year ago.

The birth of Sara was much different than that of Nora. Nora was hours and hours in getting here, and even then it was only after an emergency C-section that she finally had no choice but to enter the cold (well, not really cold because it was the end of August) cruel world. Sara, on the other hand, was in Mommy's safe warm baby-place one moment and here the next. Kind of like the feeling I had after years of driving from So. Cal to SLC and putting in hours of being in the car, usually with several young bored-to-death children to make the trip, and comparing it to later flying the same route and arriving in practically no time. Wow. That was easy. Not that birthing a baby is ever easy! Especially the weeks that come afterwards in mending again and having to care for a tiny little lammypie.

Now Sara is a year old. She loves her big sister and wants to do everything Nora does. Happy Birthday my little darling.
Nana loves you!

Hurry up and wait

I went across town to pick up our bookshelves today. They were ready to be picked up yesterday, but I didn't realize the warehouse closed at 3:30pm. When I got there today, there was a sign on the door that said they are closed on Wednesday. Seems someone failed to mention that little fact to me. When I got back to the office I called and complained (I know I'm not supposed to complain, but I wasn't wearing my purple don't-complain bracelet at the time) about not having been told the warehouse was closed Wednesday. The manager who called me back trying to smooth my ruffled feathers offered me $50 in-store credit. I asked for free delivery instead. He said he could do that, but I'd have to wait until Friday to call Customer Service to set up a delivery date. I'm sure that after I call on Friday they won't be able to deliver for several more days, so who knows when I'll ever get my den unpacked!
Tomorrow, in honor of Sara's very first birthday (besides her birth date) I'll go to Provo and have lunch with Karen and Caleb and hopefully Brandon too, if he can swing it. Happy Birthday tomorrow my little Sara Sweetie! Nana loves you!

They fit!

Yesterday while Bud was shoveling massive amounts of snow from the parking lot at the office, I finished cleaning out the edges of the garage. We can now get both Jeeps inside. Boring news for you, I know, but it's exciting for me.

The stuff you can see on the right is waiting to go to DI.
I promise, the garage really is clean.

They fixed it

We bought a ton of furniture from the St. George store of Ashleys Furniture. The salesman who was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time when we walked in (because his commission from our purchases was probably enough to make his housepayment for the month) thought we said we wanted 2 loveseats for our livingroom. We didn't say that. They sent us 2 loveseats. We didn't want that. We didn't know they'd done that until 3 months later when we unpacked our furniture in Salt Lake. After a couple of weeks, they came and picked up one loveseat and 2 days later brought us our couch. We're happy campers now, but we don't go camping, although I just took a bunch of Bud's camping stuff to the shed this morning. I guess it can sit out there for the next 25 years or so...

2 questions

Last night, Bud and I went to see The Bucket List. We both enjoyed it very much. If you use my kids' standards for whether a movie is good or not, this one would be good because it made their mom laugh and cry. In the movie, Carter (the character of Morgan Freeman) asks Edward (the character of Jack Nicholson) the two questions that the Egyptians were asked at the gates of Heaven. #1) Did you have joy in your life? #2) Did others have joy in their life because of you? Those are paraphrased and may not be the exact words in the movie, but it caused me some reflection. I can easily answer the first question that yes, I have had joy in my life. Easy. The second question is harder. Have I brought joy to someone else's life? I would hope that I have, but I can try harder. I need to remember those questions each day. Be happy. Be nice to others so they can be happy.

My little Sara is almost one! She looked so cute blowing out her little candle on her cake (Nora decorated it!). Here's a picture of her riding on the little car I gave her. It looks like she's having a good time! Happy Birthday Sara! Nana loves you!

Vista

This poem was one that I learned when I was a young teenager.

The snow.

Ah yes,

ah yes indeed,

is white and beautiful,

from my window.

The sea.

Ah yes, ah yes indeed,

is green and alluring, green and alluring,

very alluring...

from the shore.

Love?....

Ah yes, ah yes, ah yes, indeed,

verily yes, ah yes, indeed!

-Alfred Kreymborg

Back on track

...or treadmill, as the case may be. After ditching the gym since Dec. 20th, I finally got back there today. In the meantime, I've been "cross-training" with the stairstepper and lifting weights. That means carrying heavy boxes up and down stairs and unpacking everything. Fortunately, my weight has stayed exactly the same since I stopped going to the gym. Anyway, it was good to get back to my 3 miles this morning. We found a new gym which works for both Bud and me. An indoor pool for him, a treadmill for me. Agnes will love the new pool! Laura, bring your suits with you when you come out!

Here's a good story...

After the usual ward business the Bishop slowly stood up and walked over to the pulpit and briefly introduced a guest who was in the congregation that day. In the introduction the Bishop told the ward members the guest was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few minutes to greet the congregation and share whatever he felt would be appropriate. With that an elderly man walked up to the pulpit and began to speak.

"A father and son, and a friend of the son were sailing off the Pacific Coast, he began. When a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized. The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were for the first time since the meeting began, looking somewhat interested in his story.
The aged man continued with his story, "grabbing a recue line the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: To which boy would he throw the other end of the life line? He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son had a firm testimony of Christ and he also knew that his son's friend did not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out, "I love you son!" he threw out the lifeline to his son's friend. By the time the father pulled the friend back to the capsized boat his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered.

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old man's mouth. the father he continued knew his son would step into eternity as part of an eternal family, and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without knowledge of the gospel. Therefore he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend.
How great is the love of God that he should do the same for us. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed his only begotton son that we could return to him. I urge you to accept his offer to rescue you and take a hold of the life line he is throwing out to you. With that the old man turned and sat down in his chair, as silence filled the room. The Bishop again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a few closing comments.

Within minutes after the meeting had ended the two teenagers were at the old man's side. That was a nice story, politely stated one of them, but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would accept the gospel. Well you have a point there the old man replied glancing down at his worn scriptures. A big smile broadened his narrow face. He once again looked at the two boys and said, " It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I am standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His son for me. You see, I was that father and your Bishop is my son's friend."

Friday's events

Friday Bud surprised me with a buffet (that's what I learn the bottom half of the hutch is called, especially if the top half of the hutch isn't there). He went to the furniture store without me. It was an "as is" purchase and the cashier and salesman questioned him about knowing my taste and if I'd like it since he couldn't bring it back. He assured them it would work for me, and it does. It matches the color of the dining table exactly and looks great. He also bought a bookcase that matches our den/office furniture. He got it for $250 less than retail. He's a great shopper. We've ordered 2 more bookcases (at full price...ouch) and once they get here, we'll be close to really being moved in. We're almost done unpacking boxes now, but it takes forever. I don't know how Cheryl did it in one weekend. She must be friends with Wonder Woman. Or Superman. Who is the really fast guy that runs everywhere? Maybe she's friends with him.
Friday I went to a funeral, but didn't stay for the funeral. I went to the viewing the hour prior to the funeral. I used to be the babysitter for 2 cute little boys, Jeff and Brad. I went with the sole purpose of perhaps seeing their mother, Nancy. To my delight, she was there (she's now divorce and it was her ex-husband, Gary's father that passed away, so I wasn't sure she'd be there). She looked exactly the same as she did 33 years ago, with the exception of some laugh lines around her eyes, and her hair was a little darker than it was back then. I visited with Jeff and Brad, and they both said they remembered my wedding. Jeff was supposed to be the ring bearer, but he was too shy and embarrassed to do it, so Brad did it instead. Brad was only about 18 months old. He made such a cute ring bearer. Don't ask me how either of them could possibly remember, but they said they did. It was good to see them all again.

My opinion matters!

A few weeks ago, Bud and I went out for dinner. No big surprise there. We went to Sizzler. Again, no surprise. At that time, the fairly new manager came to our table and asked how our meal was. We told him it was fine, but then I expressed my disappointment that their salad bar had no raisins. I'm a big fan of raisins on my salad when I eat out. Not many restaurants give you the raisin option, but I told the manager that the Sizzler on 90th South did have raisins and maybe we should have gone to that Sizzler instead. He said he'd do what he could to bring in the raisins.
Tonight I was cranky because I was hungry and because of a certain event that happened at work today. Bud said he'd take me out for dinner so we didn't have to hassle making something when we got home. Where'd we go? Duh. When we got to Sizzler and I started around the salad bar, I had a feeling I'd find the raisins and lo and behold, Viola! There they were, right at the end, after the dressing.
When our server came to the table, I asked if the manager was working. She told me he was. I asked her to tell him thank you for the raisins. She said she would send him to our table. A short time later, the manager came to the table and I thanked him for the raisins and told him how happy I was to see them there (Bud was glad they were there too because he isn't happy to see me cranky) and how it changed my whole attitude for the evening. He said he wondered when we would be back in again (because he was so proud of himself for getting the raisins for me) and expected us to be regular customers now.
I asked for raisins, I got my raisins. Man! That was a good salad tonight!

Addicted

For Christmas, a friend of mine gave me a gift. Innocently enough, I opened the package. Truffettes de France. I popped one in my mouth. I didn't like it. But, what was I now going to do with 2 lbs. of French Truffles? I can't regift them because I just opened the box. Perhaps I could put a few on a plate of goodies and pass them off that way. The next day, just for the heck of it, I tried another one. It wasn't as bad as I'd remembered from the day before. Just to make sure, I tried one more. I checked the nutritional label (yeah, like there's any nutrition in these things). A serving size was "about" 5 pieces (how do you "about" eat 5 pieces? Either you're eating a piece or you aren't). I thought I could never eat 5 pieces in a day, but I didn't think it tasted bad anymore. By the following day, I was thinking about them while I was at work and wishing I'd packed a few with me. At this point in time, I'm completely addicted to them and don't know what I'll do when the box is empty. The good news is, I'm still on the first of two packages that came in the box. And, I can be satisfied with just one after dinner. Okay, sometimes two, and rarely I go for number 3. But I have never had a FULL serving all in one day. It's called restraint. Or guilt. I'm not sure.
This is the same friend who introduced me to Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa Chocolate Mint Truffle. There's that word again! Truffle! Aaaahhhhhh!

My other house?

 

 

 

I should have said that this was my new house! It's actually a picture of a house in Missouri we visited in 2004. Isn't it awesome? Look at all those rolling pins! April could take her pick of pins for her sugar cookies!

Frustrating

The internet at my house is still undependable. Brandon worked on it and had it going, but then as soon as I came home from work and tried it out, it didn't want to work again.
The house is finally starting to look like someone lives in it. I'm liking it! As soon as we have a few more boxes unpacked we'll have a party and you can all check it out. Stay posted for party details!