A Gift

It has been a week since I posted, a good week filled with happy things.   Here is a sampling of some of the goodness:

*Thanksgiving at my brother's house.  It was wonderful to have the whole family together for a day filled with delicious food, laughter and a walk to the park for pictures.  I am so grateful to my sister-in-law for hosting.  I know it was a lot of work for her, but it was wonderfully stress-free for me.  Best of all, the sadness of missing my mom didn't really hit until the next day, which was fine because I could be alone and process my feelings.

*My family surprised me in a wonderful way.  While I was on a walk they got out all the boxes of Christmas decorations and even set up the tree.  This may not seem like much, but it is a major project to get everything down from our tiny garage.  It is not something I can do by myself.  Right now it isn't something I can do at all!  I was so excited when I came home to find the tree all ready for us to decorate.

*We spent Saturday afternoon at LaJolla Cove.  The tide was really low, so we had a great view of the tide pools and deep green sea grass.  We played frisbee on the lawn and even watched a bride and groom with their photographer.  We drove up to Mt. Soledad just in time to watch the sunset.  It was a perfect way to end the day!

Our "soft" frisbee which was perfect for a crowded day at the beach.

*Christmas cards make me happy!  We received our first card and newsletter (yes I love those newsy letters too) yesterday.  Our own cards are addressed and almost ready to go.  The letter is ready too, but I am holding off on printing it until after my doctor's appointment tomorrow in case I have any news to share.  Keep your fingers crossed.

*Molly and the girls came to church with us on Sunday since Ryan had to work.  We love spending time with them and it was fun to be with Brianne in the nursery.  Brianne was disappointed we hadn't brought the dog to church.  She asked for "woof woof" several times.

*Tuesday is my new favorite day since it is Aaron's pday.  He has been writing us a fairly long email plus a handwritten letter every week.  This is a wonderful surprise since Aaron is known for his brevity.  He sounds very busy and happy.  He loves learning Korean.  On Thanksgiving they got to hear from Elder Nelson and later they got to watch 17 Miracles which includes the story of one of our ancestors, which he recognized.  This proves he actually was listening during some of those family home evenings!

*Today should be another good day.  I get to see a dear friend who moved away last year and tonight I am going to the temple.  I am grateful for the the gift of happy days!

Fill in the blanks

My Mom taught my brother Scott and I to say "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you" at a very young age.  These statements had to be made sincerely and followed with a hug.  Later my Dad taught us how to deal with stress and pain by forgiving others.  He told us to follow this formula:  say "I forgive  [name of person] for [whatever happened],"  Sometimes this was a process that started with "I forgive Joe for being a total jerk and stupid idiot" and progressed to "I forgive Joe for hurting my feelings when he teased me about my new haircut."  Even better was when you could finally add, "I'm grateful to Joe for being my friend."  (For the record, no one named Joe ever teased me about my hair.)

So the pattern is:  I am grateful to _______________  for _______________.
Today I want to fill in the blanks by sharing a few of the people I am thankful for and why.

I am grateful to:

Brooks for making the most comfortable shoe on earth (even if it is ugly).
My mom for being steadfast and immovable in her testimony of Jesus Christ..
Bryn for her great faith.
John for holding my hand and walking beside me for almost 25 years.
My body for allowing my worst pregnancy complications to be only heartburn and aches and pains.
Evan for his enthusiasm and energy in playing the piano.
Heather for her endurance and sense of humor.
Muff (and her family) for caring for grandma as she approaches 90.
Molly for starting the family tradition of walking lots of miles while pregnant.
Aaron for giving up solitude and the great outdoors in order to serve the Lord.
Carolyn for lifting my Dad from the pit of loneliness.
Amazon for making the Kindle so I can carry my library with me at all times.
Marianne for getting up for seminary day after day even when she hasn't slept well.
Cows for making milk that becomes cottage cheese.  (I'm still craving it!)
Mormon for abridging and organizing the Book of Mormon.
Moroni for not making Ether the last book in the Book of Mormon.
Ryan for being my guinea pig and letting me practice my momskills on him.
Brianne for looking like her daddy, but improving on it with her curly hair.
My Dad for always believing in me.
Costco for selling beautiful flower bouquets at a great price.
Sheree for being my example and showing me what is possible.
The calendar for telling me that Christmas is almost here!
Leighton Anne for sharing her sweet smiles with me.
Jenny for walking thousands of miles with me over the past 15 years.
Everyone who actually reads my blog!
My Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ for all of the above and for many more blessings I didn't mention.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Angels Did It!

Although we are missing our wings and halos (and Brenda!) in this photo, we are still Annie's Angels and together we raised $12,255 to fight against breast cancer!  We are still accepting donations, so it's not too late to help out.

It was a tough 3 days with not enough sleep, too many porta-potties, lots of blisters and very sore muscles, but it was worth it!  We joined 3,600 walkers in San Diego and we raised a total of $9.2 million to defeat breast cancer.

I stuck with my plan to walk about 10 miles a day for a total of 30 miles.  At times it was hard to leave my team and take a shuttle to lunch, but I know it was the right thing to do.  My back hurt during the walk and I had Braxton-Hicks contractions (the first of my pregnancy) so I know I needed the rest during lunch.  I usually waited about 2 hours for my team, but it gave me a chance to meet so many great people and hear some wonderful stories.  Telling people that I was 6 months pregnant was a great ice-breaker.  There weren't too many pregnant moms on the walk!

One of the sweetest stories I heard was from a woman from Colorado.  She was walking in honor of a friend with breast cancer.  She had been training for 7 months and was so excited.  On the first day she fell off a huge curb (some of them were over a foot high!) and sprained her ankle.  She kept walking and ended up injuring her other leg in an effort to compensate.  That evening the medical staff told her she shouldn't walk any more.  She was crushed to have to give up her dream.  Her husband went out and rented a wheelchair so he could push her the rest of the way.  She started crying as she told me about it and I was really touched.

I met many other women who lost their mothers to breast cancer and walked in their memory.

Crowds of people cheered for us along the way.  They played music for us, sang, danced, offered gifts, candy, water and kleenex.  Some cute Girl Scouts even gave me a sleeve of thin mints which we enjoyed for our FHE snack tonight.  On Saturday John, Marianne, Evan, my Dad and Carolyn came to cheer us on.  They walked with us for a mile or so and it really lifted my spirits to see them.

The crew at camp was fantastic.  They fed us and took good care of us.  They even found the money and credit card I dropped!  However, I do not regret our decision to stay in a hotel.  It was worth every penny sleep in a real bed and have a real bathroom after a long day on our feet.

I am grateful for my experience on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk. Hugs to my fabulous teammates and thanks to everyone who donated!  Most of all, I send my love to the three women I walked to honor:  my mom who was a 15 year breast cancer survivor, my grandma who at nearly 90 is still going strong after defeating breast cancer, and my daughter Marianne who I pray will someday live in a world without cancer!

Our Annie's Angels theme:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.               2 Timothy 1:7

Day 3 of the 3 Day!

5:30 AM

Day Two!

And we're off!

An Offering of Peace

Last week seemed to have a theme, and not a very pleasant one.  I heard from several friends and family members and each of them seemed to be suffering.  Due to no fault of their own, they were in pain.  I enjoyed my conversation with each person and I tried to offer comfort and understanding. But I wanted to do more.  I spent some time thinking about suffering and why it is inevitable as part of our life on earth.  Then I read a review of a book about Buddhism.  It explained that one of the first tenets of Buddhism is "All life is suffering."  I could see the truth in that statement, but it seemed awfully depressing!

I wondered:
What can we do to ease the suffering of those we love?
How can we offer support?
Why do we often feel so alone in our trials?
Why do we blame or criticize ourselves for not being stronger or doing more?

As I pondered these questions, I knew that the answer was to turn to the Lord.  But each of the people I talked to knew this as well.  We are faithful followers of Christ and yet we sometimes fail to feel His comforting arms around us.

Maurine Proctor explores this in her article entitled, "Do Not Take Counsel From Your Fears." (Click on the title to read this great article.)

She quotes Elder Holland who says:

I can tell you this as a parent: as concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, nevertheless I would be infinitely more devastated if I felt that at such a time that child could not trust me to help or thought his or her interest was unimportant to me or unsafe in my care. In that same spirit, I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior of the world when he finds that his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands or trust in his commandments.

 He assures us that God is always there and will always help us.

Just because God is God, just because Christ is Christ, they cannot do other than care for us and bless us and help us if we will but come unto them, approaching their throne of grace in meekness and lowliness of heart. They can’t help but bless us. They have to. It is their nature.

I admit I have not always felt the blessings of God when I am suffering.  I want to learn how to better approach Him "in meekness and lowliness of heart."  Many years ago, I took a Book of Mormon class from (the soon-to-be) Elder Holland when he was the President of BYU.  He is the only General Authority that I have ever known and been taught by personally.  I know I can trust him.  I know it is not an accident that at the very moment I wondered and worried about suffering, that I found the testimony and promise of this apostle that we will be cared for and blessed in our times of need.

I mentioned earlier that I wanted to do more for those who are suffering.  I know that helping to ease suffering often involves great sacrifice or hard work.  But today, I want to offer the words of Elder Holland and the words of Sister Proctor in the article linked above.  I know it's a meager offering, but perhaps it will yield the sweet fruit of peace for someone, somewhere. 

Braggity Brag Blog

I'm sure I have already told you about my fantastically amazing missionary son who is studying incredibly hard at the MTC.  He has already written us volumes in Korean and I must say his language skills are phenomenal.  He speaks better Korean than anyone else in the whole family!  Now he and his companion have been recognized for their stellar leadership capabilities and have been made the zone leaders.  And in just two short weeks Elder Aaron will be the district leader as well.  I think he must be GA material to be the zone leader and the district leader at the same time.  Best of all, as a sign of his brilliance, one of the counselors in his branch presidency is Ken Jennings' dad!  And you know how smart Ken Jennings is!


PS No one in our family speaks or reads any Korean at all.
PPS As of Monday, Elder Aaron and his companion will be the only elders in a zone full of sister missionaries.  Not a whole lot of choices for ZLs.
PPPS Aaron's district has 4 sisters and 2 elders.  His companion is the DL for the first 6 weeks and then Elder Aaron will be the DL for the final 6 weeks at the MTC.  Again, a shortage of options.
PPPPS  Br. Jennings really is in the branch presidency.  Apparently he lived and practiced law in Korea for 14 years.
PPPPPS We do watch Jeopardy from time to time.

My Real Name

Recently I was at Jamba Juice.  The place was pretty empty, so I could tell when my "Peach Perfection" was ready and I stood up to walk towards the counter.  I expected the girl to call my name, but instead she started giggling and called over the employee who had taken my order.  I hesitated, but finally went to the counter as they whispered back and forth and giggled even more.  When I reached the counter I heard one girl say, "I just missed one letter."  The other girl whispered, "I knew THAT couldn't be her name."

I put my hand out for my smoothie and asked, "Does that say 'Meanie'?"  Both girls looked embarrassed and I laughed.  "Don't worry," I explained.  "I know all the typos for my name."

But if you ask my kids on the wrong day, they would assure you it is spelled correctly.

My Plan

Yes, I know today is Veterans' Day and also the very cool 11/11/11, but today is special to me for another reason.  Exactly one week from today, I will begin the 3 Day for the Cure Walk!  Nine months ago my sister and I committed to participate in this walk in order to raise money for breast cancer research and to honor and remember our mother.  We formed the team "Annie's Angels" and our aunt, cousin and two friends soon joined us.  One of our friends decided to drop out, but the rest of us have held strong despite some pretty major obstacles.  You might want to call us team gimpy.  It has been a struggle for all of us to train for this event.  My aunt had to have surgery on her foot, Jenny broke her leg, Brenda's daughter needed major surgery with an extensive recovery time.  And then there's me.  I will be doing this walk as I start my 6th month of pregnancy.  Slightly less than ideal circumstances, huh?

I talked to my doctor about the 3 Day walk at one of my first appointments this summer.  She told me that she didn't want me to do the entire walk and asked me if I could modify it.  I've given it a lot of thought since then.  I presented my plan at my last doctor visit and it was approved by both my doctor and my husband! 

• My first modification is staying at a hotel instead of camping.  My fellow team members were happy to support this change.
• Each morning I will walk approximately 5-6 miles and then take a shuttle to the lunch location.  I will rest there and wait for my team.   I have also promised my doctor that I will drink lots of water and gatorade and eat at every rest stop.
• After lunch I will walk another 5 miles or so and then take the shuttle back to camp where I will wait for my team so we can have dinner together.  
• After dinner we'll head to our hotel for a (hopefully!) good night's sleep.

If I stick to this schedule for all 3 days it should allow me to meet my goals.  It is important to me to be able to participate all three days of the event.  I don't want to wear myself out or push myself too hard so that I put the baby in any danger.  I would really love to finish all 60 miles of the course, but I know that wouldn't be wise.  I will be satisfied with doing 30 miles in three days.  That is still a lot of walking and I have still raised over $2300 for breast cancer research.  Best of all I get to spend 3 days with some of my favorite people and honor my mom's life! 

I think my mom would get a good laugh out of me doing this walk with my big belly, but I also know she would be supportive.  I can imagine her making embroidered shirts for all of us to wear and giving all of us big hugs.  My mom did many hard things during her life and overcame many challenges.  She suffered much physical pain, but continued on with a smile.  I'll be thinking about her as I walk.  I love you mom!

Our Musical Weekend

Friday
Evan and John went to the symphony to hear Liszt's piano concertos.  Marianne was watching the movie Gandhi with her class from our commonwealth school and I was home alone listening to the rain.

Saturday
Evan performed a piano solo "Machines on the Loose" at the Popular Music Festival.  He also won the door prize:  A Charlie Brown Christmas CD, which he promptly put on his ipod.

That evening he performed with the San Diego Mormon Youth Choir at the Vista Stake fine arts festival.  Marianne, John and I got to go play with Brianne, Leighton and Molly.  Actually it was John and Brianne who played on the playground while the rest of us sat and talked while Leighton napped.

Sunday
Evan sang with the San Diego Mormon Youth Choir at an interfaith choir festival.  Marianne and I were home sick with colds.

Monday
Marianne and Evan sang with a homeschool choir at a Veteran's Day concert at a local middle school.

I thought it was funny that all of these musical events were scheduled for the same weekend!  I also thought it was funny that only two girls performed in the popular music festival. Thanks to the teachers, conductors and musicians who made it all possible.  And thanks to my sweet husband for driving everyone around where they needed to be.

No news

. . . is good news? 

Today was supposed to be the big reveal.  I did have my ultrasound and everything looks good, but the baby refused to give us a clear view.  Those little legs were held tightly together.  I am disappointed, but not too upset.  I will try to focus on the positive.

• I got to see my sweet baby's face and watch him or her move.
• All the measurements were spot on.
• The placenta is in a perfect position.
• All organs seems to be working well.
• I have only gained 9 pounds in 5 months (although I did come home and drown my sorrows in leftover Halloween candy).
• My doctor gave me the go ahead for the 3-Day for the Cure walk.
• We got a letter and pictures from Elder Aaron today.

As soon as I got home from the doctor, the baby started moving around like crazy.  Sigh!  I was hoping to post a picture of baby #5 today, but instead you get pictures of baby #2.  He's not a baby any more, but at least we definitely know he's male.

Drop off at the MTC

Outside the Provo temple with his companion