Impromptu Family Reunion

My brother Jason and his family came to California for a wedding in July.  They came to visit for a couple of days on their way back to Texas.  Of course my dad and Carolyn wanted to see them while they were here.  My other brother Scott and his family came down from LA country as well.  Before we knew it, we had a family reunion on our hands!  We did miss David, Elder Aaron and John who was at work most of the time.

We went to the beach, out to eat at a Mexican restaurant, to the Mormon Battalion and back to the beach!  Here is a picture of the whole gang!

Utah (and Wyoming) - Part 4

This is the 4th and final post about our trip and it's the one where Lavender gets to meet her youngest and oldest relatives (on the Hartzell side of the family).

After our girls' trip to City Creek mall, we stopped to see our nephew Brad's family in their new home.  His wife Stephanie had just given birth to baby Landon a few weeks earlier, so they didn't come to the 4th of July festivities at Susan's house.  Lavender was obviously older, but she sure wasn't much bigger!  What a couple of cute little cousins.

We also took a trip to Evanston, Wyoming.  They always have an "all-class reunion" and parade the weekend of July 4th, but the main reason we went was to see John's aunt and uncle.  As a bonus, his cousins were there too!

Lavender and her Great Aunt Ruth loved getting acquainted.  It was especially nice that they both wore lavender for the occasion.  Ruth is quite a character as you can tell!  We had a delightful visit with her and her husband Jim.

Here is John with his cousins Connie and Karen.  They are Ruth and Jimmy's daughters.  We had a good visit with everyone and also got to stop by the home where John grew up. Here is the front.

This is the backyard with the tree John's father planted when John was just a little boy.  They have both grown quite a bit!

It was a great way to wrap up our trip!  It was especially exciting to get to introduce Lavender to so many of our family members.  She was a great little traveler and didn't even mind sitting in her car seat since she had Marianne on one side and Evan on the other!

Trip to Utah - Bonus: Nordstrom

This isn't part 4 of our trip it just a little bonus I wanted to share.  One afternoon while we were in Utah, the guys went golfing, the girls went to City Creek mall in Salt Lake.  You tell me who made the better choice?  If you have any doubt, I suggest you remember two letters that are very important in the summertime:  A/C!  While we didn't buy anything at Nordstom, we were very excited to see a fabulous work of art by our niece Jennifer Rasmusson.  Jenny is the oldest daughter of John's sister Jean.  The painting is called "Current Reflection" and I love it.  You can see more of Jenny's work HERE.

Marianne wasn't surprised that I didn't buy anything at Nordstrom.  My kids probably think that I have never shopped at Nordstrom. They would be surprised to know that the Nordstrom employees once knew me by name.  Yes, it's true.  I was once a serious Nordstrom shopper.  I used to get a personal phone call when there was a sale or when something new that was "my style" arrived. 

These days I am not much of a shopper.  I buy my clothes at Costco, Kohl's or Old Navy.  But once upon a time, I loved shopping at Nordstom.  Starting the summer after sixth grade, I worked at my dad's temporary employment agency.  During high school I worked full time in the summer and part time during the school year.  During my senior year, I got out of school at noon and went to work for the rest of the day.  I actually got school credit for "work experience."  I had excellent grades and plenty of credits, so I didn't care about getting credit for working.  I did care about earning money and I was able to save enough to pay for much of my college expenses.  I also had enough extra that I could afford to shop at Nordstrom.  I still remember a beautiful ivory linen suit that I bought there. 

Do I miss being a Nordstrom shopper?  Well,  I miss the personal service I received and the high quality clothes I purchased.  But I have never regretted giving up my career to give my full time and attention to my children.  Now I could shop at Nordstrom regularly if I really wanted to.  But I'd rather save for travel and other experiences with my husband and children.  Besides, a Nordstrom Rack opens next month just a few miles from my house!

Sweet Sunday - A soft answer

Spreckles Organ Pavillion

On Monday we went to an organ concert in Balboa Park for Family Home Evening.  We arrived a little late, but we got an incredible parking space and found great seats near the front.  The weather was perfect and we ended up sitting near 24 LDS senior missionary couples.  Evan caught their attention by reading and marking his scriptures.  He is reading The Book of Mormon in 30 days during August and he wanted to finish his 18 pages before dark.  During intermission we chatted with the missionaries and they shared their homemade cookies with us.

This peaceful scene was interrupted when a homeless man staggered across in front of the stage. He was obviously drunk and he was bold.  He made eye contact with anyone who dared to look at him.  I turned my gaze elsewhere, grateful that he wasn't near enough for me to smell him.  A few minutes later, the organ society began presenting awards to three young organists.  The homeless man began clapping and cheering loudly despite his slurred speech.  He was loud and obnoxious and it surely made audience members uncomfortable.  A security guard approached him and apparently asked him to quiet down.  This made the man angry and he began yelling and swearing. A volunteer came over to help and asked the man to leave.  In response he began screaming and using more profanity.  He got really angry when they threatened to call the police.  It was an unpleasant situation and I wondered if our lovely evening was ruined.

Then the president of the organ society approached the three men.  I couldn't hear what he said, but the homeless man began speaking more softly.  They talked for a minute and soon I couldn't hear the homeless man at all.  I watched the gentleman put his hand on the homeless fellow's shoulder.  He gently guided him to where the refreshments were sold.  He got him a cup of coffee and something to eat.  He walked with him and helped him find a place to sit.  Then he quietly went back to his own front row seat.

As I watched this scene, I was reminded of the Savior.  I knew he would have handled the situation in a similar way.  He would have treated the homeless man as a person--an individual with feelings, not as an annoyance to be dismissed or a disturbance to be dealt with.  I am grateful for the example of the president of the organ society.  He surely understands the wisdom found in Proverbs 15:1

"A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger."

Utah Part 3 - Fun Stuff

Yes, there is still more to post about our trip to Utah!

I told you about John's wonderful sister Susan, but I didn't tell you about his other sister Jean.  She is wonderful in her own right.  Jean and her husband Mark homeschooled their three oldest children and then when their baby was 13, they had a bonus baby.  So John and I really aren't weird, we're just following in the footsteps of his big sister.  Gotta love a good family tradition!

Jean, John and Susan

Jean is also special because that little bonus baby became the only cousin on John's side of the family that isn't older than all of my kids. Kevin is just a year older than Marianne.  Evan and Josh have a great time with him when they get together.

Kevin, Evan and Marianne goofing off at Stadium of Fire

We also made the most of our time in Utah by hitting up the BYU Creamery.  Marianne insists we make it part of any trip to Utah.  The rest of us go along to keep her happy whether we like it or not. Do you  notice the sun shining down on this ice cream?  This is clearly a sign from the heavens.

Another highlight of the trip was our apricot picking adventure.  John's parents lived around the corner from Susan in a house built on a cherry orchard.  John's dad made sure the builder kept as many cherry trees as possible when their home was constructed.  Consequently, the family spent many hours picking cherries together.  Now the home belongs to someone else and we don't go cherry picking.  Fortunately, Susan's neighbor came over asking for a bit of help and offering to let us pick apricots from her tree.  Several years ago the tree fell over and the trunk is now parallel to the ground, but the huge tree still produces an abundance of apricots!

We also had dinner with John's good friend Marty who was the best man at our wedding.  Yes, Marty is holding a baby toy.  No, I don't know why.  And for some reason, although they live in the Las Vegas area, we could only manage to see them in Utah!

Here we are with Marty's wife Charlaan and their own little bonus baby Anna who is 10 years younger than her big brother.  Can you tell that she and Lavender connected?

The most fun we had in Utah may have been at Stadium of Fire.  We all had a great time rockin' out to the Beach Boys, despite the fact that Elder Aaron declared, "I didn't know they were still alive!" The crowded bleacher benches were not the most comfortable, especially when nursing a baby in a sling.  Fortunately, there was plenty of room below us and we were able to sit with our backs against the wall and our feet out on the benches.  Much more comfy and it gave us a great view of the concert and the fireworks!

Finally, I have to document that Lavender was an absolute angel throughout our trip.  She slept well despite being out long past her bedtime most nights.  She even slept through the fireworks.  I kept her in the sling and I covered her years, which I think helped!

She was a champ in the car and cried very little.  In fact, she cried more on our drive to SLC than she did on the rest of the trip.  I think she loved being seated between Marianne and Evan and having their undivided attention!

Part 4 of our trip will be coming in a few days!

Birthday Salad (and cake too!)

My birthday was last week.  I had a nice day including phone calls, texts, gifts, flowers, lunch with my sister, dinner and As You Like It with my husband.  We often celebrate birthdays with a family dinner.  So the Sunday after my birthday I decided I was going to invite the family over and make exactly what I wanted for dinner .  These are recipes I love, but almost never make.  And here they are:

The first one is Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad.   I've modified it just a bit.  There are a few things you should know.
1.  It makes a HUGE bowl of salad.  Actually, I have to put it in two huge bowls to mix it up. I recommend you make this salad for a crowd, or cut the recipe in half and you will still have plenty for a large hungry family.
2.  This is definitely a main dish salad, especially if you're happy with a vegetarian meal.
3.  Once you put the dressing on, you need to eat this salad right away.  You can't save the leftovers for lunch the next day.

1 package fettucine noodles, cooked and cooled
1/2 head napa cabbage, sliced
1/2 head purple cabbage, sliced
1/2 bag baby spinach
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper sliced
1 small bag bean sprouts
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced,
3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups cashews, lightly toasted in non-stick skillet

Dressing:
(I think this makes too much dressing, so I never use quite all of it on the salad!)
1 lime, juiced
8 Tbs olive oil
8 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs sesame oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
chopped cilantro

For my birthday cake I made Hymie's Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake that my mom always used to make.  It is yummy and needs no frosting.  Perfect for me since I'd rather have ice cream than frosting!

Mix together:
1 devil's food cake mix
1 large package instant chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup water

Beat on high for 5 minutes.  Then stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.  Pour batter into well greased bundt pan. Bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

It was fun to have the family over for dinner and we ate on paper plates so I didn't have dishes to do!

So Far Away

Did you know that John and I have never had our whole family together?  Aaron left on his mission while I was pregnant with Lavender, so of course they've never met.  I am really looking forward to our 2013 family Christmas photo!

During the past week while Marianne has been in Ecuador, it has been strange to think that two of our children are so far away from home.  It makes me feel a bit scattered, but I am grateful for the opportunities that both of them have to serve and grow.

I got an email from Marianne this morning.  She said they are planning to de-flea their bedroom this afternoon.  Those are words I never expected to hear from my daughter--at least not without wailing and gnashing of teeth!

She has worked several shifts in the orphanage and also at a rural daycare facility.  She has also gotten to shop, go to church, feel homesick, travel to the beach, zipline and see the sights!  She fed a bottle to a baby girl with lots of dark hair just about Lavender's age.  She couldn't imagine her own little sister being placed in an orphanage.

Here are a couple of photos.  Sorry there are none of her with the children, but they are not allowed to take any pictures in the orphanage.

Aaron has been in Canada for seven months now.  He is still in Toronto, still in the same branch, still with his MTC companion.  Good thing he is content with constancy!  The work is slow among the Korean people.  They have had one baptism since he has been there.  Aaron was able to confirm "Rocky."  They talk to many North Koreans and meet people from all over the world.  He and his companion have been surviving the summer heat by fixing their leaking air conditioning unit and eating cold cereal for dinner.

Here are a couple of photos of Elder Aaron.

It is exciting to see my children travel to places I have never been and do things I have never done. Yes, there are challenges, illnesses and difficulties.  Hopefully these will prepare them well for the journey of life that lies ahead .  I know the Lord has great things in store for each of them.

50 Years

Today is the 50th anniversary of my parents' wedding.  Mom and Dad were married young, although they were childhood sweethearts so they weren't as young as they might have been!  Mom was 20 and Dad was 22 and a recent convert to the church.  He had been baptized 11 months earlier and was the only member in his family.

Mom came from an LDS family, but most of her family were not able to go to the temple at that time.  They were married in the St. George temple with just a few family members there.  I could show you a professional photo of the temple, but it is fun to see the pictures they took.  

 

After their sealing, they drove back to Las Vegas for their wedding reception.

They stayed at LaConcha Inn that night.

Then they headed out for Salt Lake.  Dad had started feeling sick on their wedding day and by the next day he was really sick.  He laid in the back seat of the car while Mom drove the whole way.  Not a very romantic beginning for their honeymoon.  By the time they got to Salt Lake City, Dad was really sick and had strep throat.  He had to get penicillin to treat it.

The "fun" continued as they traveled to Yellowstone to camp.

They saw lots of bears and Mom loved rolling down the car window just a bit to feed marshmallows to the bears.  Her tune changed a little later.  Mom was at their campsite while Dad was somewhere else.  She had some pork chops she was going to cook for dinner.  A bear decided he wanted them, but Mom wasn't going to give them up without a fight.  She ran around trying to get away from the bear and finally climbed up on a table and started crying.  Some men had been sitting nearby and laughing at the scene, but they eventually came over and scared the bear away by banging on metal trash can lids.  The pork chops were saved and Mom and Dad survived their honeymoon, but Mom always told us, "Never go camping on your honeymoon!"

I love you Mom and Dad!  I am grateful for your eternal marriage and for your good examples of how to make a marriage work through thick and thin, five kids and 48 years!