Two wonderful days in BOSTON

This is Faneuil Hall, "The Cradle of Liberty" The edifice was home to merchants, fishermen, and meat and produce sellers, and provided a platform for the country's most famous orators. It is where colonists first protested the Sugar Act in 1764 and established the doctrine of "no taxation without representation." Firebrand Samuel Adams rallied the citizens of Boston to the cause of independence from Great Britain in the hallowed Hall, and George Washington toasted the nation there on its first birthday. I found I enjoyed the archtecture much more after teaching Art history.

I don't remember Boston being this amazing or this fun (I think I was pregnant and sick the first time we went). We saw to little Italy-the north end and had canoli and gelato and saw the North Church and Paul Revere's house.
Brad and Celeste have been in MA all summer for his internship and Celeste has become is the experienced traveler in Boston....well with a little help from Tom Tom. Brooklyn has toured all over for 3 months with her mom and no experienced tourist is complete without her sunglasses.
Celeste and Brooklyn and I had to try on the Paul Revere hats. Did you know there were actually three guys riding about at night trying to muster up about 4,000 revolutionaries to oppose the British lobster backs who were marching to Concord to seize weapons there.
Dad is trying to look like Samuel Adams

An Olympics Widow

We went to San Diego last weekend to see Don. We had fun at Torry Pines State Park on Bogey boards in the waves and had some great Mexican food. Don seems older and more mature. He's in charge of 4 other marines now as a team leader and he seems to love that.



As many of you probably know, My husband Mark qualified for the Olympics way back in prehistoric times in the individual medley. So, the Olympics are an extremely important time to him. He bought this 58" Plasma TV so he could watch it in high def and surround sound. He has his table and computer 3 feet away from the screen. He laughs, he yells. He cries every time he watches Michael Phelps win a swimming medal I had to offer him food to get him to turn for this photo. He's still watching and it's 11:30 pm.

At long last! A table almost big enough for our growing family!

Dad was the superhero and bought me this new table for the dining room. (well I paid for some of it). I watched Craig's list for 2 months and went to lots of furniture stores. When I saw this on Friday, we made it up to Layfette the day it came on. You should have seen how Dad got the whole thing in/on the Exploder! The orig owners paid $8000 for it, it's a special order-copied from an antique. (yes that is egg and dart on the carved edge) I love the comfortable leather chairs and finally, we have one big enough for all the adults to sit at one table 9.5 feet long---well, until Tiana brings someone. Let's have "an after Austin gets home from his mission party" in Feb 2009!

Lily's first steps and Happiness

I’ve been working with SO MANY depressed people in counseling lately. They are depressed because their husband is really selfish, doesn’t love them and the kids and wants to leave the marriage, they are depressed because they are single, 30 years old and haven’t ever been on a date, they are depressed because their spouse is disabled and can’t work and they have to work 12 and 14 hours a day and they still get their house foreclosed on, they are depressed because of past abuse and feeling that God doesn’t love them. When a student at ACC gave a report on “How to have Happiness”, I was really intrigued and have been thinking about it all week.

There were 4 things that come from studies of 1000’s of happy people that have good habits that seem to contribute to happiness. It was interesting in these studies that wealth was not one of the factors that made people happy.

1. Close personal and intimate relationships. The happiest people are ones who are emotionally close to others. The happiest people have good, marriages.

2. Able to set goals and achieve them. Happy people get good things done.

3. Gratitude. President Monson is always talking about an attitude of gratitude. Being greatful for sunsets and baby steps and ripe peaches is a wonderful thing.

4. Service. Happy people are unselfish people.

So, I wondered. What is the spiritual component that needs to fit in with these 4? What is #5? Surely happy people are happy in part because of their spirituality and faith in God. I found my answer when I was working in the temple and found myself all alone in the Celestial room with this question on my mind. Section 88:68 says “you minds become single to God” 67 If your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light and there shall be no darkness in you.”

I really believe that is true. I’ve really seen people pull themselves out of depression by drawing close to Heavenly Father.

My First horse riding lesson

Today while dad was doing his thing at the Aquarium, I leaned how to lead, get a horse ready to be saddled, and put on a halter. It was awesome. I rode bareback on this Norwegian Mare named Hanna and my eyes filled with tears of happiness.
This is Plum Creek Stables. It's only 15 minutes away and there are spectacular views of the mountains. It's riding trail takes you to Chatfield state park.
My Instructor Krissy is a 30 year old accountant who teaches horsmanship on the weekends. I was very impressed with her knowledge. Did you know horses are monocular? The whole time I read black beauty as a kid I never knew what the heck was THRUSH!!! I learned where to pinch their leg so they'll pick up their foot and clean it. It was all too cool :) Krissy boards two beautiful horses there at the ranch......

The 4th of July in Utah

Mark and I drove to Utah for the holiday. It was glorious to see Sam andd Lucas. Here are all the people at Mark's Birthday party bbq. Tiana had planned a really fun meal and a Charades game about Mark's past.We had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Hogan, Eric and Carolee and Leslie at Gardner Villiage.
JJ can talk much better and so Sam wants to play with him. They get along great sometimes and other times......
Bryce blew up his raft and Mark brought inner tubes. We took turns floating down the icy Provo River.
Lily especially loved the inner tubes. We had to wrestle her to get one to float down the river.

Danica moved into her own house!

Dad helped me fix some things in the house for a dinner party with some investigators and the Roedels. We took down the old red Chinese drapes and the hanging black tassels (which were looking like numchuck torture ceiling stuff) and put up these nice crinkled sheer ones. Here’s how the new living room looks.

This week has been a Danica week. It was a bittersweet move. We are really happy to know she is in her own house and independent, and it's nice to just clean for 2, BUT, it is so fun to hang to just hang out with Dan and talk to her and play with Lily and wild Jensen. I got to help her a little with painting, and a little with watching her kids so she could paint and move. She painted it in tan, brown and orange and it’s fantastic. Yesterday Kizzy and 3 of his people came over to start the move, then Brother Harper, Jenkins and another priesthood guy came over to unload the stuff at Danica’s new house.

And I found a $2500 leather sofa on craigs list for $400 for the new plasma TV room. Here’s how it looks. I’m very, very happy and thankful for Dad and that we can fix up the house together. I love him. He’s a good guy. I made him Banana crepes for Father’s day today.

My favorite flower

The terrace block walls were leaning horribly after 12 years. Over the last 6 weeks, Dave Danica and Mark dug two of them out for me and straightened them up. I toiled with the cement in the top stones, planted tomatoes, more peonies, day lilies and purple bushes and viola! Look at how my garden grows! It's such a beautiful time of year. I'm so thankful for flowers and Lily is my favorite flower.
This is Jensen's favorite thing to do in the morning. He goes in my bathroom and experiments with my stuff in my vanity drawers. Then he tries my eyeshadow and liner on his cheeks, then when he tries on Grandpa's goggles. He is our new super hero. MR MAKEUP


It's SO FUN to have Danica living in the basement. I get to see the grand babies, and hold them in church. We go to garage sales together, we go on dates with our husbands to Indiana Jones, we get to talk, we make big plans about her new house and how she'll decorate it with all my old furniture. This is just one of the outfits she found Lily at a garage sale.

Branson MO

We flew into Kansas City and stopped to talk to the good folks at the temple plot in Independence. One guy who's on the actual site, was an 84 year old apostle of the Church of Christ. He thought we were very misguided.

Mark and I went to visit our good friends the Roedel's in Branson MO.Rick Roedel is part of the construction of "Branson Canyon" We are thinking of buying a nightly/weekly rental cabin there. Branson is a "clean smaller version of Las Vegas" We saw 2 shows and had fun shopping. The Lake is beautiful and many homes have views of the lake or beautiful green ozark mountains.


This is Table Rock lake.

Sunday at the Park

Jensen loves this water/sand thing at the park. He can get really, really sandy and messy, he totes, soaks and floats things.



This is Jensen's Devious look. Shall we say that this look is seen around the house all too frequently. I say "please don't run down the hall at Penny's department store", he gets this exact look and he's off like a rocket.


Well, Dad and Dave bought me a plasma 58" TV for mother’s day. Well, it was to be for father’s day, anniversary and Dad’s b-day too! I thought the TV was for dad and I to snuggle on the couch and watch movies- but low and behold…..Dad wanted it for the Olympics! Dave was particularly excited to help us install it because we bought a blue-ray player (PS 3) that he can just happen to play games on. And, after watching a movie on Friday night---guess who was playing first thing on Saturday morning.

2008 Eclipse SE

My Nissan 350Z was a great car, especially with the top down in the spring sunshine. But, after a few slippery snow storms I decided to get front wheel drive. By leasing this Eclipse, I was able to pay off my car AND my graduate school loans and I estimate i will save about $1,000 a year on gas with the 4 liter engine. I really like the satellite radio-commercial free. And of course, the rims and the spoiler. The definition of a good car- your see it in the garage and you can't wait to drive to work.

Community College of Denver

This week was my last Thursday night class at Community College of Denver. I am so glad I’ve decided not to drive there in rush hour traffic any more. Even when I left at 4:00 it took a whole hour to get to down town and then, to add insult to injury, I got to pay $4 a night for parking. But, I really liked my students in that class. They were a kick. They were a little older with some life experience. A couple of women with children, a Mexican with an accent so thick you could barely understand him, a perky dental assistant, a lesbian woman who brought her partner 2x, a bi-sexual woman, a girl who had to break up with her boyfriend during the semester because he’s alcoholic and wouldn’t help her raise their kid, several enthusiastic Hispanic women and last but not least, Chad. Chad is a slight young man but wears a ponytail, glasses and has large self-esteem. In introductions, he let on that he hadn’t chosen a major. Another time he let on that he was attracted to emaciated women. I thought that was fascinating. He’s a runner and was one of the few who read the assignment and made great comments. I really liked him. And at the end of class he came up last night and said, “I liked this class so much, and he way you taught it, I think I’m going to declare Psychology as my major.” I was really honored. I was so happy for him; I had to stifle myself from saying…..NO! It’s really hard to make money in this field!

Counseling

Lily looking beautiful at McDonalds
Two little cousins in green church clothes.
Lucas looking like an angel at his name blessing and Sammy looking a little angry.

Sunday at the park with Jensen. Here's something to think about on the Sunday before Mother's day. I'm so thankful for a responsive, valiant, unselfish mom. I have a client who’s mom was a pretty good mom until the dad had an affair. Then the mom seemed to shut down and spent her whole day in bed, only coming out to make dinner. My poor client Lisa was abused by her brothers and basically had no parents. She fell away from the church during high school but ended up at BYUI and got a testimony, married a nice returned missionary who loves her and her big problem is she just wants a mom, didn’t have a mom and now her mom does all these awful things to get attention like start fights so bad the police have to be called and gets arrested for stealing right in front of her new LDS in-laws. The woman is a selfish narcissist who needs tons of attention, but can't give love herself. Lisa cries and cries every week that she’s scared of being a mom, she doesn’t know how to do it. She’s so afraid she’ll be a horrible mom like her mom was. We’ve talked a lot about the atonement and that if you put yourself in a position to receive revelation and inspiration, the Savior helps us overcome infirmities. So she started feeling inspired to write her mom a letter and tell her that she just couldn’t have contact with her any more. One night her husband and her talked until 2:00 am about how hard and sad that was not not have contact with a toxic mom, but it had to be done and the husband said “even Nephi was commanded to cut off Laban’s head in order that a whole nation not perish in unbelief.” Then he gave her a blessing and she went to the temple. In the temple she read the psalm of Nephi and felt like it was written just for her. It is amazing to see her changing and growing every week. I am so proud of her and so thankful for the atonement. I really do believe that miracles can happen through the atonement of the Savior.

It’s fun to have JJ here. We went to the park today. He talks more every day. He calls me baggy because he can’t say grandma. I don’t particularly like the whole baggy thing, that makes me sound ....well BAGGY.

Good news........

This was a great week. I am enjoying working for LDS social services so much! It is wonderful to see people making progress. I was even given a key to our building so I can start seeing people closer (by a half hour) to home. I feel so powerful.

This is cute little Brooklyn on her car.

It's hard to believe we really had all these wonderful people here for Tiana's homecoming. It was glorious.

From Two of us to 15 of us for a whole week

Sammy held JJ's hand at the Zoo. It was pretty cute. Then JJ decided he didn't like being led around and ran away.
Me, Tiana and the five cuttest grandbabies in the world.


Tiana flew to Salt Lake City to help Danica, Dave, Lily and JJ move into our basement house for the summer. Dave showed up with his buddy Matt. Don slept here occasionally. He didn't want to put a crimp in his social life by staying here too much. Bryce, Marcia, Sammy and Lucas drove over and Celeste and Brooklyn flew in. We went to the Zoo, we ate Pizza and had Lucas Blessed. We all listened to an amazing report of Tiana's mission on Sunday and Celeste sang in church. There were diapers and people and toys and Tiana talking on the phone to guys and cutting hair everywhere. It was wonderful mayhem.

Tiana is home!

Tiana came home Thursday. She missed her flight in Cincinatti and had been sitting in the airport all day with no companion and was going nuts. We met her at the fountain with balloons and flowers and a banner and she seemed so shaky and out of her element. She got in the car and we were driving home and she said "where are all the trees?" Then we went to the temple and Brother McFarland hugged her before she was released. I have never seen her go so red. She cried because she didn't want to get released and stop feeling the spirit. Finally, the Stake President released her in the Celestial room. Friday she was home all alone while we worked and that made her feel really weird. Saturday I took her to the mall and she was very strange and kept saying "I don't know what to do....I don't know what to buy". But, I found us some jeans on sale and she spoke to friends on her new cell phone--the first thing she bought when she got into CO. In church Don talked about narrowly missing grenades and being saved by prayers and Tiana Addressed the high council for her report. I saw her lip shaking before she stood and I wondered if she would be shy, BUT she firmly testified about how inadequate she felt because of her siblings before her mission and how much she'd grown and learned to read and now she was confident in the Lord. She was supposed to talk for 15 minutes and spoke for 40. We had Noga and Twok and Donato at the young adult ward and Tiana helped teach the 3rd discussion (so did Noga) and then they came home for the usual dinner and Tiana showed them her visual aides.

Don is home!

Don came home and bought a car and put the worlds bigger amp and bass in the trunk. It takes up the whole trunk. I need to talk to him about ear damage. He seems more responsible more mature. I love that kid. He is really nice to us and fun to talk to and really funny. He said that because of the barracks where they stayed there were no bathrooms, he went for months without a shower in Iraq. They had baby wipes to use. Gross huh? I couldn’t do that. I have to have 2 baths a day. Erf!
How did you like conference? I heard this: How much better would our society be if parents regarded their children as gifts from God to be nurtured. President Hinkley
Contrast that to what Barak Obama said this week in speaking of abortion, "I've got 2 daughters and I'm going to teach them morals and ethics but if one of them make a MISTAKE I don't want them burdened them with a child. Ugh.
I thought—of all the people I’ve seen in counseling this week, if their parents had valued their children as gifts from God, I wouldn’t have a job. Adults suffer so much from the negligence and sins of their parents. One of the ladies I see, her mother just kind of fell apart when her dad had an affair and didn’t watch out for or care about the kids. Now this client went crazy as a teenager and has had a hard life, but she repented and went to BYUI and got married in the temple to a fine man---but the pain of such a selfish mother, who still needs all the attention and doesn’t love her daughter and allowed bad things to happen to this little girl---still haunt and hurt this client.
Another man I see had a mother who had a boyfriend who severely beat her two little sons. This man was only 4 years old when his stepfather beat him up…..he ended up in the hospital and would have died except for a priesthood blessing. Finally the mother kicked her boyfriend out…but, This man is also trying to be righteous but suffers from never having a father or a mother who loved him and cared about him. I am so thankful for the Savior Jesus Christ---I truly believe that it is through his sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane, that my clients can feel the love of God and their own spouses and move on to overcome their abuse and reach their full potential. There was that sister who just being released who said something like : I weep with Abraham who was taking his only son Isaac up to the mount of Moriah to be sacrificed and he did not know that God would provide a Ram in the thicket….People who are miserable don’t know about that Ram that God eventually provides.
I am so excited for Tiana to come home this Thursday I can’t stand it. I got her a car---she’ll have to pay me back for most of it, but it’s a good little black 2001 prism that I got for $100 under blue book-$3,500. They don’t have them for $2,500 any more--darn. Don bought her a $50 cd player to put in it. We will call it her early b-day present. Where would a young adult be without a car?