35%

Thursday was turning out to be a very lame day. For those of you not living in Utah, you might not be aware that the Beehive State has yet to realize that Spring should be almost over and summer should be knocking at the door. For example, the high today was 50 degrees and its rainy and cold. Add to that other life disappointments, giving Thursday the thumbs down. Ryan and I decided that our family should take a brisk stroll in the cold down to the grocery store.

We bought some donut holes, I bought some buttermilk for a killer chocolate cake recipe. As we were leaving the supermarket, Ryan spotted President Henry B. Eyring, an apostle of the Lord. He is much taller than he appears in his broadcast talks. Well, having my entire family with me, I summoned courage, said hello, and asked him if he would shake the hands of my family members. When he got to Preston, who is actually about half an inch shorter than me, I told him of Preston's plans to receive the Priesthood on his twelfth birthday. He told Preston congratulations. It was a very short and sweet conversation, a lovely unexpected tender mercy on what was otherwise, a fairly lousy day.

As we walked away from President Eyering back up the hill to our home, Ryan turned to me and said, "Well, I think that my testimony just increased by 35%." I Said "Wow, I wonder what would have happened if we had just met the prophet." I guess these occasional chance encounters are just one of the perks of living in Utah.

Gourmet Nausea

Tonight I am suffering from a severe case of Gourmet Nausea, self diagnosed. This evening, in downtown Salt Lake City, I tasted delicacies from about 20 posh, trendy, expensive, gourmet restaurants. In an event known to the world as "Tastemakers Salt Lake City," a herd of downtown restaurants conspired to tempt the public into becoming more frequent consumers. The plan? For a very low price, let consumers taste test a gourmet tidbit from several downtown restaurants. We were given a map, a wrist band to prove we paid the fee, and a description of what each restaurant would offer to the participants. It was the perfect combination of eating a little, then walking a bit, eating a little, and walking a bit. The eating a little eventually turned into a massively bloated stomach, way too much food! But every calorie was worth it! As if that doesn't sound fun enough, my brother and sister in law (Ashlee and Collin) and my spouse joined me for the feast! My favorite was the Blue Lemon appetizer, a filet of Salmon on a made from scratch roll, bacon, and other yummies that convinced me I need to patron that restaurant again. I feel tired from the walking, and nauseous from all the food. But if I do have to bow to the porcelain God, I know that what comes up won't be regular puke, it will be gourmet vomit!

Wow!

For mothers day my wonderful family made me breakfast in bed. Delicious pancakes, real maple syrup and fresh blueberries. No drink but I'm not really a beverage kind of gal. While I ate my meal as I sat cozy in my sheets, my littles brought their home-made gifts to me. Preston gave me a fancy craft flower pen, Simon made me a little paper flower pot with several paper flowers. On the stem of each flower was a chore he would do for me. Annie drew me a picture of our family on needle point cloth, and Owen drew me a frame for a picture, but didn't want to draw anything inside the frame.

As for Calvin, he approached Ryan in a panic just outside my bedroom. He held up the key chain with beads he had made for me and said "Dad, I think I messed Mom's keychain up. It's supposed to say "Mom" but it just says "Wow". What am I going to do?"

Ryan gently told him to flip it over. I love my children. Mother's day really was happy. Much love to my own Mother and the Mother of my husband, all the way back to Eve. What a blessed woman I am!

Great News!

Yesterday was bring your grandparent to school day for my first grader, Simon. Nanas and Papas were to show up about an hour before school ended, and spend some quality time with their grandkid. It just so happens that I volunteer down at the school on Tuesday mornings. When I stepped into Simon's class, he ran up to me and gave me a huge hug, and said "Mom, I have some great news! Teacher told me that since I don't have any grandparents in town, you can come this afternoon."

My poor, sweet Simon, who sees his boring mother every day of the year, was genuinely excited that I could be a grandparent substitute. That little boy is a glass is half full kind of a guy, and I know it will serve him well for the rest of his life. I bet all of the real grandparents in his class thought I had undergone some surgery to turn back the clock. I was hands down the youngest looking grandparent in the bunch.